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Sussex County, Virginia severe weather history spans 243 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,153 nationally and #64 in Virginia.
243
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Sussex County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sussex County, Virginia severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 233 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sussex County, Virginia record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $4.6M 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 Sussex County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 129 | 0 | $290K | 61 | 1974–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 41 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 37 | 0 | $4.6M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $20K | 4.25 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 3 | $3.7M | F3 | 1975–2019 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
Decade by decade
Sussex County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 35.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-10-14 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-02-24 | EF1 | 3 | 8 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-01-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 17.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-09-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sussex County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2016 | Tornado | NEWVILLE | 3 | 8 | $2.6M |
| Apr 20, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS storm survey concluded that an EF1 tornado occurred near Waverly. The tornado began a few miles south southwest of Waverly, moved fast through the town of Waverly, then ended about five miles north northeast of Waverly in Surry county. Maximum winds were between 100 and 110 mph. Numerous trees were downed, with two mobile homes destroyed and several homes and businesses damaged.
A tornado hit the town of Sussex and moved northeast across the northern part of the county, hitting the southern part of Waverly and dissipated 2 miles east of Waverly. Trees were knocked down all along the path with the most significant damage in and near Waverly. Some houses were damaged in the south part of Waverly and a Peanut warehouse was destroyed just east of town.
An EF0 tornado developed just north of Highway 460 and south of Petersburg Road approximately one mile northwest of Waverly. The tornado moved south crossing Highway 460 just north of Waverly. As the tornado tracked across Highway 460, it struck the NAPA auto parts store causing only minor damage. Numerous large trees were uprooted and snapped along Highway 460. Highway 460 was closed for a time due to the downed trees. The tornado continued tracking south to North Church Street causing minor damage to the First Baptist Church. Numerous large trees fell into the neighboring cemetery damaging a number of sites. Continuing south, the tornado tracked along New Street snapping trees and causing minor damage to homes breaking out windows and removing siding. The tornado lifted shortly after crossing Highway 40 on the west side of Waverly.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,765
Population (ACS)
$184K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Sep 3, 2011 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRENE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sussex County, Virginia?
243 events are on record between 1974 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $8.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sussex County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 129 recorded events — 53.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sussex County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sussex County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sussex County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sussex County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sussex County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sussex 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
- Surry County 181
- Tazewell County 391
- Stafford County 460
- Warren County 310
- Spotsylvania County 483
- Southampton County 287
Cite this page
“Sussex County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/sussex-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.