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Fluvanna; Prince Edward; Cumberland; Goochland; Mecklenburg; Lunenburg; Nottoway; Amelia; Powhatan; Western Louisa; Eastern Louisa
Powhatan County, Virginia severe weather history spans 192 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,486 nationally and #82 in Virginia.
192
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$484K
Property damage
The record
What the Powhatan County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Powhatan County, Virginia severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 65 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 181 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $370K 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 Powhatan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $370K | 65 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1980–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $113K | F0 | 1987–2022 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Powhatan 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: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-07-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-06-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 23.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-09-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado tracked from near the Norfolk Southern Railroad northeast to near the intersection of Bradbury Road (VA-672) and Moseley Road (VA-605). Many trees were found snapped or uprooted along this route, including several onto homes.
National Weather Service confirmed there was straight line wind damage in the town of Flat Rock along Route 60 and intersections of Dorsett Road and Shroder Road. Wind damage path was a half mile wide and two miles long. Large trees and numerous other trees were knocked down and lying down pointing in the same direction. Stack of steel bush hogs were blown over. Roof of the Flat Rock tire store was partially torn off. Barn roof was peeled off on north side of building. Box trailers 15 to 18 feet long were blown over. Communication tower was knocked over.
The tornado tracked from Goochland county into Powhatan county. The track paralleled the EF1 tornado with damage noted from south of Kent Store to south of Maidens and into northern Powhatan county. Some trees were uprooted or snapped, and there was very minor structural damage in northern Powhatan county before the tornado lifted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
31,555
Population (ACS)
$416K
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 |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Powhatan County, Virginia?
192 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $484K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Powhatan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 117 recorded events — 60.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Powhatan County?
5 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 Powhatan County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Powhatan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Powhatan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Powhatan County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Powhatan 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
- Pittsylvania County 894
- Prince Edward County 273
- Patrick County 421
- Prince George County 338
- Page County 287
- Orange County 486
Cite this page
“Powhatan County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/powhatan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.