Virginia winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 133 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 10,408 winter storm records in Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 349 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 22, 2016 winter storm in Henry County: 2 deaths and 3 injuries across 3 records. Virginia ranks 6th of 51 states and territories by count and 11th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Virginia, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- 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
- Records
- 10,4081996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 349average
- Deaths
- 3158 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $75Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2014727 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 winter storm records common in Virginia?
Virginia averages about 349 winter storm records a year since 2000, 6th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2014 (727). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Virginia records 2636 winter storm records since 1996, 11th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, 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 winter storm records?
Per square mile, Greene County leads Virginia: 212 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 1359.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Highland County has the most winter storm records (401 since 1996); 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 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Virginia?
66% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (3,693 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 3,693 · Feb 3,144 · Mar 1,379 · Apr 77 · May 2 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 41 · Nov 188 · Dec 1,884 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Virginia?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-01-22 | Winter StormHenry County · forecast zone Henry One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A significant winter storm pushed from southwest to northeast, spreading periods of moderate to heavy snowfall across portions of southwest Virginia January 22nd through the 23rd. Snowfall continued through the day Friday and into Saturday before coming to an end after sunset. Accumulations from 6 to 12 inches of snow ... | 2 | 3 | – | |
| 2004-02-05 | Winter WeatherFauquier County · forecast zone Stafford An area of low pressure produced freezing rain and sleet in Northern Virginia as it tracked northeast. One to two tenths inch of ice accumulated. This ice coated surfaces, downed power lines. and felled trees. As a result, there were school closures/delays, automobile accidents, and scattered power outages. In ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2010-02-04 | Winter StormWythe County · forecast zone Wythe Moderate to heavy snow moved into the county during the early morning hours on the 5th. The snow turned to a mixture of rain, freezing rain, and sleet during the afternoon, before ending as snow late at night into the day on the 6th. Snowfall accumulations of 8 to 10 inches were reported across the county. Two people ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2004-01-26 | Winter WeatherLoudoun County · forecast zone Loudoun An area of low pressure moved across the area on the 26th and 27th. This low produced a second round of freezing rain and snow across the region. Due to the inclement weather Federal agencies in the Washington DC Metropolitan area closed three hours early on the 27th. Two fatalities were reported in Loudoun County ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-12-17 | Winter WeatherAmherst County · forecast zone Amherst Light freezing rain fell during the early morning hours across Amherst County, VA. Resultant slick surfaces, and motorists driving too fast for conditions, lead to dozens accidents, one involving a fatality. Accidents continued after the precipitation ended as surface temperatures remained below freezing until the ... | 1 | 5 | $25K | |
| 2016-12-17 | Winter WeatherFairfax County · forecast zone Fairfax A tenth of an inch of ice was reported at Falls Church. There was 23-car accident from icy conditions on the Beltway near Exit 49. Four injuries resulted from the accident and there was a fatality about a mile north of the accident of a man who was walking away from his disabled vehicle. | 1 | 4 | – | |
| 2019-01-12 | Winter StormPulaski County · forecast zone Pulaski A winter storm brought mainly freezing rain conditions, where ice accumulations ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 inches thick across most of the county. Snow was also observed, with accumulations reaching nearly an inch. The icy conditions resulted in an auto accident on Interstate 81 southbound, not far from the intersection ... | 1 | 2 | $87K | |
| 2014-02-12 | Winter StormHalifax County · forecast zone Halifax One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Cold high pressure was in place across the region on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. An area of low pressure progressed northward from the Gulf of Mexico the 11th into the 12th of February and transported a generous amount of moisture into and across the cold air over the area allowing the precipitation to fall as ... | 1 | 1 | $1.4M | |
| 2012-12-26 | Winter WeatherBotetourt County · forecast zone Botetourt Virginia State Police reported that a 35-year old Covington, Virginia woman was killed on U.S. Highway 220 near Eagle Rock when her vehicle slid across an ice covered bridge near Patterson Mill Road and was hit by an oncoming car. The person in the oncoming car was injured, but the injuries were not fatal. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Winter StormPittsylvania County and Danville (city) · forecast zone Pittsylvania One storm episode: 27 records in 27 places; the totals are the episode's. An area of low pressure developed across Texas and moved eastward towards the Appalachian Mountains, while Arctic high pressure also tracked eastward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes. The Arctic high reached the Appalachian Mountains first and wedged southward against the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge to ... | 1 | 1 | – |
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 winter storm records in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-12-23 | Ice StormYork County and Poquoson (city) · forecast zone York / Poquoson | 0 | 0 | $36M | |
| 2003-02-14 | Winter StormFrederick County · forecast zone Frederick One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2009-12-18 | Heavy SnowDickenson County · forecast zone Dickenson One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $3.8M | |
| 1998-02-04 | Ice StormAugusta County · forecast zone Augusta One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 2014-02-12 | Winter StormHalifax County · forecast zone Halifax One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 1 | $1.4M | |
| 1998-01-27 | Heavy SnowBuchanan County · forecast zone Buchanan One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2012-10-29 | Heavy SnowDickenson County · forecast zone Dickenson One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2009-12-18 | Heavy SnowRussell County · forecast zone Russell One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 1,155 | 32,893 | 3.5% |
| 2000s | 2,975 | 88,805 | 3.4% |
| 2010s | 4,290 | 103,626 | 4.1% |
| 2020-26 | 1,988 | 62,015 | 3.2% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherDickenson County · forecast zone Dickenson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherBuchanan County · forecast zone Buchanan | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherWashington County and Bristol (city) · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherScott County · forecast zone Scott | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Heavy SnowRussell County · forecast zone Russell | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Heavy SnowWise County and Norton (city) · forecast zone Wise | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherLee County · forecast zone Lee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherHighland County · forecast zone Western Highland | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Winter WeatherGreene County and 5 more · forecast zone Northern Virginia Blue Ridge | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Winter WeatherAlbemarle County and 4 more · forecast zone Central Virginia Blue Ridge | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherPrince William County and 2 more · forecast zone Cst And Southeast Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherGreene County and 5 more · forecast zone Northern Virginia Blue Ridge | 0 | 0 | – |
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 winter storm records in Virginia
FEMA has declared 13 disasters in Virginia for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 11 were major disasters, the latest on January 23, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-23 | EM-3631 | Severe Winter Storm | 135 |
| 2025-04-04 | DR-4863 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 36 |
| 2022-03-11 | DR-4644 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 28 |
| 2021-05-10 | DR-4602 | Severe Winter Storms | 33 |
| 2016-03-07 | DR-4262 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 30 |
| 2010-04-27 | DR-1905 | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms | 38 |
| 2010-02-16 | DR-1874 | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm | 50 |
| 2003-03-27 | DR-1458 | Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,Floodind, and Mudslide | 39 |
| 2000-02-28 | DR-1318 | Severe Winter Storms | 109 |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1086 | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) | 136 |
| 1994-04-11 | DR-1021 | Severe Winter Ice Storm | 33 |
| 1994-03-10 | DR-1014 | Severe Ice Storms, Flooding | 72 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Greene County: the county's whole recordThe Virginia county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in VirginiaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Virginia20,677 records
- Floods in Virginia8,165 records
- Hail in Virginia6,183 records