Accomack County, Virginia severe weather history spans 224 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,291 nationally and #73 in Virginia.
224
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Accomack County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Accomack County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 96 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 206 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Accomack County, Virginia record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $517K in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Accomack County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $210K | 100 | 1970–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 47 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $6K | 2 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $517K | F2 | 1962–2015 |
| Flood | 4 | 1 | $500K | 0 | 2011–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Accomack County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-10-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-11-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-08-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-08-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-07-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Accomack County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2016 | Flood | PARKSLEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | MAPPSBURG | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| May 7, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A slow moving tornado made a short narrow path through rural portions of Accomack county just east of Onley. The tornado first touched down in a small residential development just southwest of the intersection of Custis Neck Road and Drummondtown Road. Numerous trees were damaged or brought down by the tornado with one tree falling on an unoccupied vehicle. The tornado then continued slowly southwest through a wooded area with the last visible tree damage seen just southwest of Accomack Elementary School.
A CoCoRaHS reporter measured 7.58 inches of rain in a 24 hour period ending at 7:40 AM EST on August 19. Most of the rain fell during the morning of August 19. The observer stated that they had to wade through water in order to get to the gauge. Additional rainfall fell during the day on August 19 with a two day rainfall total of 9.66 inches ending at 7 AM EST on August 20.
Rainfall totals generally ranged between two inches and four inches across the county. Rainfall total of 3.86 inches was reported at (0.6 SE) Onley. Rainfall total of 2.96 inches was reported at Wallops Island (WAL) and Parksley.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,335
Population (ACS)
$204K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Nov 26, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Accomack County, Virginia?
224 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Accomack County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 113 recorded events — 50.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Accomack County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Accomack County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Accomack County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Accomack County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Accomack County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Accomack County, Virginia severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Albemarle County 845
- Alleghany County 179
- Amelia County 242
- Amherst County 321
- Appomattox County 269
- Arlington County 251
Cite this page
“Accomack County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/accomack-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.