Botetourt County, Virginia severe weather history spans 322 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,651 nationally and #39 in Virginia.
322
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$4.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Botetourt County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Botetourt County, Virginia severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 305 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Botetourt County, Virginia record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $3.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Botetourt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 164 | 0 | $1.0M | 70 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $51K | 2.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 43 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 23 | 1 | $143K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $400K | 0 | 2003–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2022 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $11K | F1 | 1955–2020 |
Decade by decade
Botetourt 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: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Botetourt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2013 | Flood | SPRINGWOOD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | GLEN WILTON | 0 | 8 | $600K |
| Apr 7, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUCHANAN | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| May 18, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | S Buchanan | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 1989 | 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 Botetourt County man was drowned while attempting to clear a blocked culvert near his home near Buchanan. The man fell into the stream around 4:45 AM and was caught in the current. A Flood Warning was in effect for the entire county at the time.
Thunderstorm winds blew thousands trees down countywide. Power lines also came down as a result of the strong winds and trees falling upon them. Less than twenty structures sustained damage where their roofs blew off. In the community of Blue Ridge, trees fell upon and damaged several mobile homes. Flying debris injured five people at the Buchanan Carnival. A two-vehicle accident, with two injuries, occurred when the driver of one vehicle swerved to avoid an already downed tree. Falling trees and limbs injured three others at the Middle Creek Campground. Unknown causes resulted in three additional people taken to medical facilities.
Extensive road damage occurred on Grove Hill Road between White Church Road and the border between Craig and Botetourt Counties due to considerable flash flooding of North Fork Catawba Creek, which was observed well out of its banks. Multiple vehicles were stranded due to the flash flooding, with the occupants requiring swift water rescue from emergency services personnel. Two minor injuries were reported of those rescued occupants. At least 6 homes were cutoff from access along Grove Hill Road between White Church Road and Lees Gap Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,004
Population (ACS)
$289K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Botetourt County, Virginia?
322 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $4.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Botetourt County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 164 recorded events — 50.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Botetourt County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Botetourt County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Botetourt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Botetourt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Botetourt County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Botetourt 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
- Bland County 108
- Brunswick County 254
- Bedford County 674
- Buchanan County 196
- Bath County 166
- Buckingham County 398
Cite this page
“Botetourt County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/botetourt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.