Albemarle County, Virginia severe weather history spans 845 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #252 nationally and #4 in Virginia.
845
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$3.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Albemarle County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Albemarle County, Virginia severe weather history averages 12.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 420 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 819 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Albemarle County, Virginia record is tornado, responsible for 11 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $2.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Albemarle County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 509 | 2 | $2.5M | 70 | 1956–2026 |
| Flood | 132 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 89 | 4 | $260K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $11K | 4.5 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 11 | $1.1M | F3 | 1959–2020 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $24K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2000–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Albemarle County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-30 | EF3 | 11 | 4 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-07-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Albemarle County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 1959 | Tornado | 11 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 31, 2018 | Flash Flood | FARMINGTON | 2 | 0 | $20K |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | KEENE | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| May 13, 2025 | Flash Flood | GREENWOOD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | IVY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 19, 1996 | Flash Flood | ALL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2005 | Lightning | WEST PORTION | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2003 | Lightning | NORTH GARDEN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two cars were swept off Old Ballard Road at Ivy Creek. The occupant of one vehicle escaped and was rescued. The second vehicle was observed to repeatedly toss and overturn in the raging floodwaters. The two occupants of that vehicle could not be rescued and were found dead.
Twelve year old boy perished after being swept away by rushing floodwaters in a headwater of Stockton Creek. Stockton Creek was overflowing onto roads and fields several feet deep. Portions of Brooksville Road and Newtown Road were washed out, with water rescues occurring on Brooksville Rd.
The National Weather Service surveyed wind damage in western Albemarle county near Doylesville. About 2 dozen large hardwood trees were topped or blown over on an estate off Via Lane (Route 672). The tornado touched down as the storm passed near the southeast part of Pasture Fence Mountain. The most intense tree damage (and a small portion of a fence) was along a small stream that ran through Crosscreek Farm. A resident of the farm observed the tornado, commenting on the large number of large, topped hardwood tree debris swirling overhead, up to an altitude upwards of 300 feet. The tornado lifted after it had crossed Via Lane after striking the farm. This tornado has been rated an F1 on the Fujita Scale. Of note, this storm may have produced a longer path tornado toward the White Hall area, but due to the rugged nature of the terrain, no further ground survey was conducted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
114,919
Population (ACS)
$495K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Mar 11, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Farmington 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Albemarle County, Virginia?
845 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $3.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Albemarle County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 509 recorded events — 60.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Albemarle County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Albemarle County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Albemarle County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Albemarle County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Albemarle County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Albemarle 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
- Accomack County 224
- Alleghany County 179
- Amelia County 242
- Amherst County 321
- Appomattox County 269
- Arlington County 251
Cite this page
“Albemarle County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/albemarle-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.