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Stafford County, Virginia severe weather history spans 460 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,018 nationally and #22 in Virginia.
460
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$14.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Stafford County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stafford County, Virginia severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 210 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 442 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Stafford County, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $10.4M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Stafford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 256 | 1 | $3.0M | 88 | 1967–2026 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $1.0M | 2.75 | 1968–2024 |
| Flood | 69 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $58K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $10.4M | F1 | 1960–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 1996–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2003 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Stafford County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stafford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | AQUIA | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An NWS Storm Survey determined that a low-end EF2 tornado struck the England Run North subdivision in Berea. The tornado damage began just south of Route 17 in Berea. There were 160 home damaged and nearly destroyed in the England Run subdivision, with 25 categorized as uninhabitable. The storm continued northeast, damaging buildings at a FedEx facility.
Around 100 trees were uprooted with a few snapped at the trunk in Falmouth, particularly along VA-652 Truslow Road, Beagle Road, Worsham Lane, Limerick Lane, and Kelley Road. Multiple trees fell into two houses near the intersection of VA-652 Truslow Road and Melvin Drive causing severe damage. Another tree fell onto a house along Worsham Lane. A tree was uprooted along Vernon Street with tree damage noted on Gayle Street. Several trees were blown down along US-17 Warrenton Road near the Rappahannock River. Two trees fell onto two houses along Phillips Street. Trees blew down blocking the ramp from southbound I-95 to US-17 Warrenton Road. Three trees blew down onto homes in the 800 block of Spring Valley Drive. Tress blew down on US-1 Cambridge Street near the Rappahannock River and Carter Street.
A tornado touched down in north Stafford County near Boswells Corner (near the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Telegraph Road). Initially the storm produced minor damage to trees, and siding and shingles were torn from a few homes. Minutes later the storm produced extensive tree damage to the Crystal Lakes neighborhood. This tornado later crossed into Prince William County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
163,466
Population (ACS)
$485K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 11, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Mar 7, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Falmouth 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stafford County, Virginia?
460 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $14.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stafford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 256 recorded events — 55.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stafford County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stafford County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stafford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stafford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stafford County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stafford 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
- Spotsylvania County 483
- Surry County 181
- Southampton County 287
- Sussex County 243
- Smyth County 285
- Tazewell County 391
Cite this page
“Stafford County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/stafford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.