Augusta County, Virginia severe weather history spans 535 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #767 nationally and #14 in Virginia.
535
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$16.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Augusta County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Augusta County, Virginia severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 196 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 512 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Augusta County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.7M 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 Augusta County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 286 | 0 | $2.2M | 70 | 1958–2026 |
| Flood | 92 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Hail | 67 | 1 | $25K | 3 | 1961–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 55 | 2 | $4.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Tornado | 13 | 2 | $9.7M | F2 | 1952–2022 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $170K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Augusta 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: 11 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-05-04 | EF2 | 2 | 10 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-11-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Augusta County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1990 | Tornado | 2 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 6, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Apr 8, 2020 | Hail | LOFTON | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2022 | Lightning | MOSSY CREEK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2002 | Lightning | MT SOLON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Mar 8, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | VAC041 | 0 | 1 | $430 |
| Jan 14, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado tracked just west of Stuarts Draft. The tornado produced damage to thirty-seven structures and also downed numerous trees and powerlines. ||Numerous trees were toppled and wires were down along Old White Hll Road. A large tree fell onto a house off White Hall Road. A large storage shed was destroyed and multiple hardwood trees were topped ten to fifteen feet up near Twin Mill and Churchmans Mill Roads. A farm building along Tinkling Spring Road and Yoder Circle lost several outbuildings and trees. ||Preliminary damage estimates from Augusty County Emergency Officials listed storm damage to twelve residences, three businesses, fifteen garage sheds, two mobile strutures and five barns. Preliminary damage cost was estimated at over 2.2 million dollars.
,1445EST,,,0,0,0,0,Hail (1.00) A tornado tore through the southern portion of Waynesboro, causing extensive damage. The tornado first struck a residential community in the city's southwestern side, causing damage to trees and sheds, and minor roof damage to homes. The tornado then crossed Interstate Highway 64 at the federal highway 340 overpass, flipping a tractor-semitrailer truck in the process. The twister, continuing a south-southeastward motion, knocked over a 22-ton crane, demolished a mobile home, and flipped a pickup truck in an industrial park, where several businesses sustained roof damage. Thereafter, a swath of over 100 pine trees was mowed down at a nearby park. The storm continued through more residential communities, demolishing a mobile home, causing significant roof and structural damage to others, and demolishing several outbuildings. The tornado then ran into a mountain east of the city, where it dissipated. Quarter-size hail accompanied the storm as it passed over federal Highway 340.
A significant localized wind gust affected the Jolivue area just south of the City of Staunton. Shingles were peeled off the roof of a home in the unit block of Chesnut Road. Surrounding properties in the neighborhood had dozens of trees (mostly pine trees) uprooted and snapped, all laying in a general southeastward direction in line with the parent storm motion.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
78,033
Population (ACS)
$306K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Jul 27, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Augusta County, Virginia?
535 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $16.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Augusta County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 286 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Augusta County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Augusta County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Augusta County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Augusta County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Augusta County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Augusta 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
- Arlington County 251
- Bath County 166
- Appomattox County 269
- Bedford County 674
- Amherst County 321
- Bland County 108
Cite this page
“Augusta County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/augusta-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.