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Bedford County, Virginia severe weather history spans 674 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #440 nationally and #9 in Virginia.
674
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$12.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Bedford County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bedford County, Virginia severe weather history averages 10.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 290 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 658 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bedford County, Virginia record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.8M 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 Bedford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 361 | 0 | $4.8M | 70 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $102K | 2.75 | 1975–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 59 | 0 | $711K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 22 | 1 | $496K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2016–2023 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $135K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $5.8M | F2 | 1996–2024 |
| Debris Flow | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2018–2021 |
Decade by decade
Bedford County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-09-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bedford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2016 | Lightning | STONE MT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2022 | Tornado | GOODE | 0 | 3 | $925K |
| Jun 8, 2022 | Lightning | PEAKSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | Tornado | BEDFORD CITY | 0 | 1 | $3.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A second tornado developed 8 miles east-southeast of Bedford City in Bedford County and remained on the ground for 5 miles before crossing over into Campbell County. This tornado injured one person, destroyed seven homes, three businesses, and about two dozen farm buildings. The tornado damaged about 129 other homes, 39 businesses, and a tractor trailer. Numerous trees were toppled.
Thunderstorm winds blew down six large trees, destroyed an outbuilding, flipped over two boats and downed power lines on Waterfront Drive near the Marina at Smith Mountain Lake. Also, the Smith Mountain Eagle reported numerous trees were blown down at the Waterfront Park campground. Severe damage occurred to numerous recreational vehicles and campers at the park. Damage values are estimated.
An EF-2 tornado with max winds of 135 mph touchdown 0.4 miles southeast of Norwood before heading north northeast toward U.S Highway 221. The tornado crossed Bethany Church Road and Langford Lane where two mobile homes were destroyed. The tornado then continued northeast snapping and uprooting trees just west of the Ivy Hill Golf Course. Additional tree damage was noted on the western slopes of Fleming Mountain along Rocky Mountain Road. In total, 15 homes were damaged along with 35 structures including sheds, outbuildings, and garages. Three injuries were reported with zero fatalities. The length of the tornado track was estimated at 6.25 miles, and the maximum width was approximately 330 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
80,894
Population (ACS)
$297K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Tropical Storm | POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE HELENE | EM |
| May 10, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bedford City 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bedford County, Virginia?
674 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bedford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 361 recorded events — 53.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bedford County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bedford County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bedford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bedford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bedford County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bedford 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
- Bath County 166
- Bland County 108
- Augusta County 535
- Botetourt County 322
- Arlington County 251
- Brunswick County 254
Cite this page
“Bedford County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/bedford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.