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Arlington County, Virginia severe weather history spans 251 recorded events between 1973 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 69.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,101 nationally and #61 in Virginia.
251
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$16.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Arlington County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Arlington County, Virginia severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 242 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Arlington County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $11.4M 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 Arlington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 174 | 0 | $11.4M | 70 | 1980–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 1 | $3.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 18 | 0 | $500 | 1.5 | 1973–2024 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $13K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $1.6M | F1 | 1997–2021 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Arlington County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Arlington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2003 | Flash Flood | ARLINGTON | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2011 | Lightning | ROSSLYN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 2001 | Tornado | ARLINGTON | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| Jul 28, 1997 | Lightning | SOUTH WASHINGTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | ARLINGTON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
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.
More than 10 heavily traveled roads were closed, including I-395, Route 110, and Washington Blvd. I-395 was closed at the Glebe Rd exit due to high water. Several cars were submerged up to their hoods. The George Washington Memorial Parkway South at the Washington National Airport exit was closed.
A tornado from Alexandria moved just east of Interstate 395 from Shirlington to Pentagon City before it crossed the 14th Street bridge into D.C. Large trees and power poles were downed, a few house roofs were damaged, and two people were injured by flying debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
236,254
Population (ACS)
$895K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Mar 7, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Nov 26, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Arlington 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Arlington County, Virginia?
251 events are on record between 1973 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $16.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Arlington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 174 recorded events — 69.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Arlington County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Arlington County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Arlington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Arlington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Arlington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Arlington 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
- Appomattox County 269
- Augusta County 535
- Amherst County 321
- Bath County 166
- Amelia County 242
- Bedford County 674
Cite this page
“Arlington County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/arlington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.