Patrick County, Virginia severe weather history spans 421 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,169 nationally and #25 in Virginia.
421
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$8.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Patrick County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Patrick County, Virginia severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 173 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 404 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Patrick County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $5.0M 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 Patrick County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 190 | 0 | $1.0M | 65 | 1976–2025 |
| Hail | 125 | 0 | $8K | 2.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 61 | 1 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 26 | 0 | $464K | 0 | 2017–2023 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $395K | F1 | 1999–2016 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $74K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
Decade by decade
Patrick County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-09-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-09-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-08-01 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Patrick County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28, 2004 | Flash Flood | STUART | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding and flash flooding was widespread across Patrick County. Numerous creeks and rivers were reported out of banks with dozens of road closures across the county for much of the day. An apartment complex was evacuated due to a mudslide and multiple swift water rescues were carried out. Polebridge Creek west of Sanville was reported out of its banks and Big Ivy Creek flooded a portion of Route 58 southeast of Meadows of Dan. The Smith River gage at Woolwine (SMWV2) reached its highest crest on record (data only back to 1995) at 16.11 feet (6300 cfs) at 500 AM (EST) on the 29th (old record 12.20 ft. on 9/28/2004). This is a revised value based on a post-flood analysis by VA Department of Environmental Quality. The historic (1921) Bob White covered bridge over the Smith River near Woolwine was washed away as the river rose. Total damages in Patrick County were estimated at $4 million about half from road and infrastructure damage and half from agricultural losses.
Flooding continued much of the day across Patrick County. Dozens of roads remained closed by late afternoon. U.S. Route 58 and VA State Highway 8 both major thoroughfares were under 2 to 3 feet of water around 400 PM. Several businesses in downtown Stuart were flooded and several other businesses on U.S. 58 were flooded including the W and W produce store and Wal Mart.
Patrick County was declared a Major Disaster under the Presidential Declaration. Calls to 911 dispatch about flooding began shortly 1250 AM EST with water reported near some homes Riverside Drive along Poorhouse Creek in Stuart. At the same time water was also over the road on portions of Jeb Stuart Highway (Route 58) just north of Stuart. Several other roads were later reported closed with up to 1.5 feet of water flowing across Jacks Creek Road. The river gage on the Smith River near Woolwine (SMWV2) gage showed a rise in less than six hours to a crest of 12.35 feet, Minor flood stage is 9 feet and Moderate flood stage 11 feet. This was the 2nd highest reading at this gage since data started there in 1995 and was roughly a 5-10 year annual recurrence interval (0.20 to 0.10 annual exceedance probability).
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,512
Population (ACS)
$153K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | 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 |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Stuart 123
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Patrick County, Virginia?
421 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $8.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Patrick County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 190 recorded events — 45.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Patrick County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Patrick County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Patrick County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Patrick County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Patrick County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Patrick 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
- Page County 287
- Pittsylvania County 894
- Orange County 486
- Powhatan County 192
- Nottoway County 249
- Prince Edward County 273
Cite this page
“Patrick County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/patrick-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.