Henry County, Virginia severe weather history spans 639 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #496 nationally and #10 in Virginia.
639
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$125.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Henry County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Henry County, Virginia severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 205 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 621 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Henry County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $104.5M 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 Henry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 401 | 0 | $4.9M | 80 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 130 | 0 | $27K | 3 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 63 | 2 | $14.5M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 16 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $104.5M | F2 | 1964–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2020–2020 |
| Debris Flow | 4 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2020–2020 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Henry County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 8.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 4.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Henry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2004 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 1997 | Lightning | FIELDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 1994 | Tornado | Martinsville | 0 | 10 | $50.0M |
| Sep 14, 2013 | Dust Devil | BASSETT | 0 | 6 | $1K |
| Sep 17, 2004 | Tornado | FIELDALE | 0 | 4 | $53.8M |
| Jul 12, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Sep 12, 2019 | Lightning | CHATMOSS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 8, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | AXTON | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down near Fieldale at 1104 EST. The F1 tornado crossed U.S. Highway 220 turning over 2 tractor-trailer trucks and 2 passenger vehicles. All 4 drivers suffered minor injuries. The tornado damage patch widened to a quarter mile, and strengthened to F2 as it approached and struck a factory. At this location, around 40 vehicles were severely damaged or destroyed. The factory experienced significant damage. The tornado then proceeded north and entered a residential subdivision, but only minor roof and tree damage occurred here. The tornado path became intermittent as it continued north and the damage was limited to trees. The tornado crossed into Franklin County at 1114 EST.
A tornado touched down just north of Ridgeway and moved to one and a half miles south of Martinsville. The path length was 4.25 miles long and averaged about 200 yards wide. Ten people were injured, 100 homes and 30 businesses were damaged. Total damages came to $8.7 million. The thunderstorm that produced the tornado was part of the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl.
Thunderstorm winds caused several trees down across the central and northern portion of Henry County. This includes trees down on a house with people trapped inside in Fieldale. Heavy damage was also reported on Skyview Trail in the Spencer area. One mobile home received heavy damage, another home had its roof lifted off, a shed was destroyed, several vehicles were heavily damaged, and a gazebo was blown away. In the Dyer Store area Martin Stables received heavy damage. it was here where a machinery storage building, hay barn, and half a cinder block building were destroyed. Most of the farm equipment was destroyed by falling debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
49,980
Population (ACS)
$135K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Henry County, Virginia?
639 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $125.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Henry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 401 recorded events — 62.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Henry County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Henry County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Henry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Henry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Henry 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
- Henrico County 547
- Highland County 110
- Hanover County 409
- Isle of Wight County 288
- Halifax County 753
- James City County 240
Cite this page
“Henry County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/henry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.