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Hanover County, Virginia severe weather history spans 409 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,218 nationally and #26 in Virginia.
409
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$4.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Hanover County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hanover County, Virginia severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 138 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 389 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hanover County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $2.1M 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 Hanover County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 229 | 0 | $871K | 70 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $5K | 2.75 | 1960–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 43 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 2 | $2.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 2 | $1.4M | F3 | 1959–2022 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $127K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
Decade by decade
Hanover County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-04-01 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 11.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-09-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hanover County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2004 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Apr 2, 1998 | Tornado | COATESVILLE | 2 | 0 | $800K |
| Dec 17, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | ASHLAND | 0 | 2 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado downed trees and power lines, and produced some siding and roof damage to homes. Many structures sustained damage from the tornado, with the most significant damage occurring as a result of trees and/or large branches falling on homes. Several homes were declared uninhabitable as a result. Most of the damage was EF0 in intensity, with a few areas in the western half of the tornado path reaching low end EF1 intensity. Maximum wind speeds were estimated around 80 mph. The tornado moved into Hanover County from Henrico County.
Significant damage occurred in the Atlee Ridge area of Mechanicsville. Neighborhoods included Kings Charter and Patrick Henry Estates. Numerous trees and large limbs were downed, with some trees and limbs falling onto homes. Falling trees and limbs also downed power wires and blew transformers. Over 5,000 Dominion Power customers lost power.
A strong thunderstorm downburst, with wind gusts estimated at 65 knots (75 miles per hour), produced widespread damage throughout the city of Mechanicsville. The most significant damage occurred in the vicinity of Pole Green and Meadowbridge Roads, where structural damage occurred to several homes from downed trees. Several additional trees were downed in the same area. Trees were also downed onto vehicles on Windsor Drive. A trained spotter reported that a 3000 pound truck was moved several feet. Additional power lines and trees were downed along Bells Creek Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
112,879
Population (ACS)
$400K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 11, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | 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 |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hanover County, Virginia?
409 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $4.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hanover County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 229 recorded events — 56.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hanover County?
17 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 Hanover County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hanover County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hanover County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hanover County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hanover 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
- Halifax County 753
- Henrico County 547
- Greensville County 129
- Henry County 639
- Greene County 279
- Highland County 110
Cite this page
“Hanover County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/hanover-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.