Virginia severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 133 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 20,677 severe thunderstorm wind events in Virginia from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 655 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 29, 2012 thunderstorm wind: 4 deaths, 6 injuries and $60,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 18 records. Virginia ranks 8th of 52 states and territories by count and 8th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Virginia, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 20,6771955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 655average
- Deaths
- 36284 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $300Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 20191,197 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events common in Virginia?
Virginia averages about 655 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 8th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2019 (1,197). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Virginia records 5237 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 8th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Virginia have the most severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, York County leads Virginia: 85 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 811.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Fairfax County has the most thunderstorm wind records (735 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Virginia?
51% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (5,365 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 271 · Feb 296 · Mar 659 · Apr 1,301 · May 2,915 · Jun 5,365 · Jul 5,242 · Aug 3,106 · Sep 884 · Oct 269 · Nov 282 · Dec 87 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Virginia?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindKeene, Albemarle County One storm episode: 18 records in 10 places, 2012-06-29 to 2012-06-30; the totals are the episode's. A strong upper-level disturbance passed through the region in a northwest flow aloft. Extremely hot and humid conditions caused high amounts of instability. The upper-level disturbance triggered a line of thunderstorms that moved through the area. Due to the high instability, thunderstorms caused widespread wind ... | 61 kt wind | 4 | 6 | $60K |
| 2014-07-24 | Thunderstorm WindCape Charles, Northampton County Downburst straight line wind damage occurred from the southern portions of Cherrystone Campground southward into Cape Charles, then eastward through Cheriton to Oyster. The most significant damage occurred from Cherrystone Campground eastward to just east of Route 13 in Cheriton and southward to just north of the ... | 65 kt wind | 3 | 31 | $935K |
| 2012-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindMountain View, Montgomery County One storm episode: 28 records in 28 places; the totals are the episode's. A derecho of historic proportion rolled through the region and caused widespread, significant damage. Numerous power outages occurred. Some customers were without power for 12 days which coincided with a prolonged period of excessive heat. The derecho had its origin around Chicago, Illinois around 1:00 pm EST. By 7:00 ... | 65 kt wind | 2 | 14 | $23M |
| 1984-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindFairfax (city) Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (6, in 6 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 2 | 5 | – | |
| 2025-05-16 | Thunderstorm WindWellington, Fairfax County One storm episode: 20 records in 8 places, 2025-05-16 to 2025-05-17; the totals are the episode's. A line of thunderstorms developed over western Maryland and eastern West Virginia, then significantly gathered strength as it moved east into the I-95 corridor. Destructive winds, very large hail, and a tornado were observed with some of the most intense storms. Additional thunderstorms in a weakening but still severe ... | 65 kt wind | 2 | 0 | $373K |
| 2011-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindNas Norfolk, Norfolk (city) One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Scattered severe thunderstorms well in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds and large hail across portions of south central and southeast Virginia. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 5 | $7K |
| 1990-04-25 | Thunderstorm WindSpotsylvania County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2008-06-04 | Thunderstorm WindLake Barcroft, Fairfax County One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. A stalled front resided across the Mid Atlantic during the afternoon and evening of June 4th, allowing moisture and instability to pool along the boundary. This combined with several strong upper level disturbances resulted in numerous thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening. Many of these thunderstorms became ... | 50 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $518K |
| 2019-07-22 | Thunderstorm WindBlackstone Aaf, Nottoway County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a frontal boundary produced damaging winds across portions of central and eastern Virginia. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $5K |
| 2002-05-13 | Thunderstorm WindRoanoke (city) Thunderstorms during the morning and afternoon of the 13th produced damaging winds.Thunderstorm winds downed trees in Northern Halifax County, Charlotte Court House, Sugar Grove, Danville, Graysontown, Indian Valley, Christiansburg, 3 miles west of Ferum, Gladys, 6 miles northeast of Appomattox, trees and power lines ... | 1 | 2 | $820 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-07-26 | Thunderstorm WindHampton Rds, Norfolk (city) | 80 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $50M |
| 2023-07-29 | Thunderstorm WindMinnieville, Prince William County One storm episode: 7 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $25M |
| 2012-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindMountain View, Montgomery County One storm episode: 28 records in 28 places; the totals are the episode's. | 65 kt wind | 2 | 14 | $23M |
| 1994-05-26 | Thunderstorm WindHampton City, York County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (2; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 0 | 3 | $11M | |
| 1993-09-04 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, York County | 0 | 0 | $10M | |
| 2006-07-02 | Thunderstorm WindAnnandale, Fairfax County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $7.3M |
| 2009-07-12 | Thunderstorm WindMorattico, Lancaster County One storm episode: 3 records; the totals are the episode's. | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4.1M |
| 2010-09-22 | Thunderstorm WindMoneta, Bedford County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $3.6M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events becoming more frequent in Virginia?
Virginia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Virginia | United States | Virginia's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 58 | 3,482 | 1.7% |
| 1960s | 148 | 10,124 | 1.5% |
| 1970s | 283 | 18,714 | 1.5% |
| 1980s | 641 | 39,604 | 1.6% |
| 1990s | 2,098 | 85,554 | 2.5% |
| 2000s | 4,200 | 129,990 | 3.2% |
| 2010s | 7,655 | 161,286 | 4.7% |
| 2020-26 | 5,594 | 126,815 | 4.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindNewsoms, Southampton County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindAdney Gap, Roanoke County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindCullen, Charlotte County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindWomacks, Charlotte County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindHooes, King George County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindDogue, King George County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindOcean Park, Virginia Beach (city) | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindHopewell (city) | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindHopewell (city) | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindHopewell (city) | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindPentress, Chesapeake (city) | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2026-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindGrassfield, Chesapeake (city) | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Virginia
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 20 declarations in Virginia, 20 of them major disasters; the latest on April 4, 2025.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-04 | DR-4863 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 36 |
| 2022-09-30 | DR-4674 | Flooding and Mudslides | 2 |
| 2022-03-11 | DR-4644 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 28 |
| 2012-07-27 | DR-4072 | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds | 69 |
| 2011-11-17 | DR-4045 | The Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee | 8 |
| 2009-12-09 | DR-1862 | Severe Storms and Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Ida and A Nor'east | 12 |
| 2006-09-22 | DR-1661 | Tropical Depression Ernesto, Severe Storms and Flooding | 26 |
| 2006-07-13 | DR-1655 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 16 |
| 2004-10-18 | DR-1570 | Severe Storms and Flooding From the Remanants of Hurricane Jeanne | 10 |
| 2004-09-03 | DR-1544 | Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes Associated W Td Gaston | 12 |
| 2004-06-15 | DR-1525 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 4 |
| 2003-12-09 | DR-1502 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 6 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- York County: the county's whole recordThe Virginia county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in VirginiaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Virginia10,408 records
- Floods in Virginia8,165 records
- Hail in Virginia6,183 records