Pulaski County, Virginia severe weather history spans 335 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,579 nationally and #37 in Virginia.
335
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$22.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Pulaski County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pulaski County, Virginia severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 117 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 323 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $14.1M 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 Pulaski County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 150 | 0 | $1.0M | 80 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 97 | 0 | $12K | 2.5 | 1984–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 46 | 0 | $774K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 28 | 0 | $14.1M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $84K | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $6.0M | EF2 | 2011–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2020 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Pulaski County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pulaski County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 2011 | Tornado | PULASKI | 0 | 9 | $3.9M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down along Mount Olivet Road and traveled southeast, with the most significant damage along Pulaski Street, Valley Road, and Maple Street. Several roofs were torn off homes, top floors of a couple homes were completely destroyed, a couple homes were knocked off their foundations, and numerous large trees were snapped off. Over 200 homes received some damage, with around 30 of these destroyed beyond repair.
The tornado touched down on Highway 11 near the National Guard Armory. It then tracked southeast, with intermittent damage over a wooded area. More continuous damage was then observed as it crossed Interstate 81 at Draper near exit 92. In this area, there was significant damage to a gas station and many homes. One mobile home was completely destroyed and numerous trees were snapped off. The tornado lifted as it moved up a small ridge about 1.5 miles southeast of Old Baltimore Road.
A tornado touched down as an EF1 at 5:33PM (LST) just west of Belspring Road and traveled 1.3 miles before crossing the New River along Depot Road into Montgomery County at approximately 5:35PM. The tornado would continue almost two more miles before lifting near McCoy at 5:39PM. The heaviest damage was to a residence that had an unattached garage/workshop that was torn apart. Debris from this structure fell over onto two nearby vehicles and was also thrown into the two story home which suffered considerable damage. Many other homes, mainly along Belspring and Depot Roads, received some minor structural damage. Hundreds of trees were snapped or knocked down. The tornado reached it's maximum width of 300 yards near the river and consistently displayed EF1 (86-110 MPH) damage through its lifespan.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,687
Population (ACS)
$192K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Sep 29, 2024 | Tropical Storm | POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE HELENE | EM |
| 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 Pulaski County, Virginia?
335 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $22.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pulaski County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 150 recorded events — 44.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pulaski County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pulaski County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pulaski County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pulaski County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pulaski County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pulaski 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
- Prince William County 724
- Rappahannock County 274
- Richmond County 265
- Prince George County 338
- Roanoke County 457
- Prince Edward County 273
Cite this page
“Pulaski County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/pulaski-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.