Wise County, Virginia severe weather history spans 222 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,306 nationally and #74 in Virginia.
222
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$3.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Wise County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wise County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 216 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wise County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.8M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wise County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 | 0 | $797K | 70 | 1977–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 1 | $806K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 31 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1996–2018 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $233K | 0 | 2015–2024 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $1.8M | F1 | 1957–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2012 |
Decade by decade
Wise 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-04 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wise County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2002 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Mar 4, 2008 | Tornado | BIG STONE GAP | 0 | 2 | $1.8M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado struck Big Stone Gap destroying six homes and producing major damage to fifteen homes and minor damage to twenty five homes. Two minor injuries were reported. Also, numerous large diameter trees were reported down.
Properties and vehicles flooded near the intersection of Hwy 58 and Route 706 near Tacoma. Most of the homes in the area were mobile homes whose elevated living spaces seemed to remain above the flood waters that inundated the ground beneath them. Captured by drone video displayed on social media.
Flooding closed roadways near the intersection of Big Branch Rd and South Fork Rd, and a home was flooded. Minor flooding of businesses and the river gage house on Main Street. Flooding was also beginning in the Pound Bottom community, which was being monitored for potential evacuations.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,448
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
19
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 Wise County, Virginia?
222 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wise County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 145 recorded events — 65.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wise 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 Wise County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wise County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wise County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wise County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 50 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wise 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
- Westmoreland County 213
- Wythe County 266
- Washington County 299
- York County 237
- Warren County 310
- Tazewell County 391
Cite this page
“Wise County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/wise-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.