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Emporia city, Virginia severe weather history spans 60 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,016 nationally and #122 in Virginia.
60
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$610K
Property damage
The record
What the Emporia city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Emporia city, Virginia severe weather history averages 0.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 20 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 59 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 $205K 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 Emporia city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 21 | 0 | $70K | 50 | 1990–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $205K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Hail | 5 | 0 | $10K | 1.75 | 1999–2009 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $125K | F2 | 1953–2019 |
Decade by decade
Emporia city, 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: 0 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-03-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
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 near the intersection of Brink Road and Collins Road, about 3 miles southwest of Emporia, VA in Greensville County. The tornado snapped trees and did damage to a couple of outbuildings along its path. Minor damage also occurred at a shopping center in Emporia. The tornado lifted just north of town.
Very heavy rain fell in Emporia, where 5.70 inches of rain was measured. Several residents were evacuated on Reese Street at Metcalf Branch. Standing high water was common in Emporia, with water above car doors on Market and Brink Roads.
Heavy rains associated with Hurricane Irene produced widespread low-land flooding across much of the county, including roadways which were washed out or closed. Storm total rainfall generally ranged from five to eight inches.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,547
Population (ACS)
$149K
Median home value
15
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 Emporia city, Virginia?
60 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $610K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Emporia city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 21 recorded events — 35.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Emporia city?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 0 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Emporia city?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Emporia city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Emporia city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Emporia city as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Emporia city, 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
- Danville city 159
- Fairfax city 59
- Covington city 25
- Falls Church city 53
- Colonial Heights city 82
- Franklin city 75
Cite this page
“Emporia city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/emporia-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.