Rockbridge County, Virginia severe weather history spans 360 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,429 nationally and #32 in Virginia.
360
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$7.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Rockbridge County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rockbridge County, Virginia severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 124 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 347 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $5.5M 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 Rockbridge County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 205 | 0 | $2.2M | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 65 | 0 | $1K | 1.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 52 | 0 | $5.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $96K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $14K | F0 | 1975–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Rockbridge County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rockbridge County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2005 | Lightning | COLLIERSTOWN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockbridge | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds caused damage in a small area at Natural Bridge Station. An outbuilding was demolished and several trees were uprooted. Other miscellaneous minor damage was noted within the campground. Damage values are estimated.
A line of thunderstorms producing damaging winds brought down numerous trees from central Rockbridge County along a swath into the city of Lexington, including on High Street and Valley Pike Road. Some of the trees that were downed in Lexington landed on power lines, resulting in the loss of power for roughly 600 residents. One home had a tree fall on it, resulting in it needing to be evacuated.
Widespread reports of flash flooding across the county. One family had to be evacuated along Muddy Lane. One basement was also flooded with significant damage. there was also a water rescue on Furrs Mill Road which was flooded by the Maury River. As many as 33 roads were closed through the county at one point due to flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,531
Population (ACS)
$249K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Jul 27, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rockbridge County, Virginia?
360 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rockbridge County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 205 recorded events — 56.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rockbridge County?
3 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 Rockbridge County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rockbridge County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rockbridge County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockbridge County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rockbridge 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
- Roanoke County 457
- Rockingham County 521
- Richmond County 265
- Russell County 193
- Rappahannock County 274
- Scott County 228
Cite this page
“Rockbridge County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/rockbridge-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.