174
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$11.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Arlington County, Virginia: 174 recorded events between 1980 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #1,279 nationally and #43 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Arlington County, Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Arlington County is the 2010s, when 57 of the county's 174 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Arlington County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 69.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,279 for this hazard and #43 within Virginia, putting it in the 59.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Arlington County with 61 recorded events, while Dec is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2021 | ARLINGTON | 70 | 0 | 1 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | SOUTH WASHINGTON | 59 | $0 |
| Sep 6, 2025 | SOUTH WASHINGTON | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2025 | ARLINGTON | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 1, 2025 | ARLINGTON | 52 | $3K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | SOUTH WASHINGTON | 53 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2025 | ROSSLYN | 52 | $2K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | ARLINGTON | 52 | $50K |
| Jun 19, 2025 | ARLINGTON | 56 | $20K |
| May 16, 2025 | SOUTH WASHINGTON | 60 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2024 | ROSSLYN | 52 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hundreds of trees, branches, and wires blew down in Chain Bridge Forest, Rivercrest, Bellevue Forest, Riverwood, Court House, Clarendon, Virginia Square, Maywood, Lyon Village, Rosslyn, and Fort Myer, with dozens onto cars and houses. Dozens of trees and branches blew down in Arlington National Cemetery. Southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway was closed north of US-50 Arlington Boulevard for nearly a week due to fallen trees and storm debris; northbound was shut down north of Spout Run Parkway. Southbound Spout Run Parkway was also closed for several days between Lorcom Lane and George Washington Memorial Parkway due to downed trees. Numerous trees blew down blocking eastbound I-66 Custis Memorial Parkway in Rosslyn, where several road signs also blew down.
A few dozen trees and large limbs were blown down in the Glebewood and Waycroft-Woodlawn section of Arlington. A tree blew down on North Buchanan Street near 20th Street North. A large tree and multiple large tree limbs blew into a house in the 4300 block of 16th Road North, injuring and briefly trapping a resident. Trees blew down on North Upton Street and 22nd Road North. A tree blew down on North Illinois Street near 22nd Street North. Several other large trees blew down, tearing down power lines, poles and transformers on North Columbus Street. A few homes had minor siding damage.
A couple dozen trees and large limbs were blown down near the Westover and Leeway section of Arlington. A couple of trees and numerous large branches were blown down near the intersection of 18th Street North and North Lexington Street, with several other large trees blown down in the neighborhood. The roof of a commercial building was partially peeled off at the intersection of US-29 Lee Highway and North Lexington Street, with several other large trees down near, some which fell on wires. A tree blew down on George Mason Drive near 22nd Street North.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Arlington County, Virginia?
174 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Arlington County between 1980 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Arlington County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Arlington County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Arlington County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Arlington County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/arlington-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.