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Halifax County, Virginia severe weather history spans 753 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #340 nationally and #7 in Virginia.
753
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$16.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Halifax County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Halifax County, Virginia severe weather history averages 10.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 290 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 724 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Halifax County, Virginia record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.0M 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 Halifax County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 455 | 0 | $2.3M | 100 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 134 | 0 | $662K | 3 | 1957–2023 |
| Flood | 61 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 51 | 0 | $10.0M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 17 | 2 | $2.5M | F3 | 1954–2024 |
| Lightning | 17 | 0 | $199K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Halifax County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-03-24 | EF3 | 1 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 18.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-11-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 26.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-01-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Halifax County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | HIGH ROCK | 1 | 7 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 1969 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $25K | |
| Apr 16, 2011 | Tornado | MAYO | 0 | 4 | $700K |
| Jul 4, 2004 | Lightning | TURBEVILLE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| May 1, 2012 | Lightning | HALIFAX | 0 | 2 | $500 |
| Jun 18, 2019 | Lightning | RODDEN | 0 | 1 | $300 |
| Oct 18, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado, with winds estimated up to 125 MPH, formed from a supercell and initially touched down near High Rock Trail off Thompsons Store Road. It then moved northeast, causing most of the worst damage in the Liberty Road area. This includes one death and eight injuries in that region. Also in this area four mobile homes and a large camper trailer were destroyed. A little further along the track a roof sustained heavy damage, an outbuilding was destroyed and numerous trees were uprooted. The path became intermittent as the tornado moved northeast of Lennig Road, and it lifted just before reaching the Roanoke River in northern Halifax County. In total: four homes were destroyed, 14 sustained major damage and 6 had minor damage.
Halifax County was included in a Presidential Major Disaster declaration due to the severe flooding associated with Tropical Storm Michael. Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches in several hours triggered widespread flash flooding across the county with numerous roads closed and extensive damage. County officials described it as 'the worst, most devastating storm we've ever seen in the county'. The 911 dispatch center had more than 300 calls for assistance between 5:00 and 7:00 PM on the 11th and more than 700 by 7:00 AM the next day Among the reports received was Lawless Creek as much as 300 feet out of its banks and flooding a church. News photos showed a portion of Pumping Hill Road near Nathalie completely destroyed. Several water rescues were made, including one on Terry���s Bridge Road near Scottsburg on Friday morning the 12th. A debris flow closed a portion of Route 58 in southwest Halifax.
The tornado with winds estimated up to 120 MPH entered Halifax County around 250 PM from Person County North Carolina. It entered as an EF2 and continued producing EF1 to EF2 damage all the way to Stuanton River State Park at the confluence of the Dan and Lower Roanoke Rivers. Four mobile homes were destroyed along its path in Virginia and one received major damage. Three stick built homes had major damage. Four other homes had minor damage with another four seeing minor impacts. There were also numerous outbuildings and sheds that were destroyed. Numerous trees were also destroyed, with an estimated 60 to 100 acres of trees destroyed within the Staunton River State Park. Winds were estimated to be up to 120 MPH with this tornado.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,639
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
27
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 |
| May 10, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Dec 18, 2018 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- South Boston 222
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Halifax County, Virginia?
753 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $16.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Halifax County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 455 recorded events — 60.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Halifax County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Halifax County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Halifax County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Halifax County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Halifax County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 47 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Halifax 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
- Greensville County 129
- Hanover County 409
- Greene County 279
- Henrico County 547
- Grayson County 232
- Henry County 639
Cite this page
“Halifax County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/halifax-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.