Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Bedford; Amherst; Pittsylvania; Campbell; Appomattox; Buckingham; Halifax; Charlotte
Lynchburg city, Virginia severe weather history spans 178 recorded events between 1977 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,565 nationally and #89 in Virginia.
178
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$37.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Lynchburg city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lynchburg city, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 4 events fall before 1990 and 174 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 $18.2M 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 Lynchburg city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 99 | 0 | $8.1M | 65 | 1977–2025 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $3K | 1.75 | 1998–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $18.2M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $316K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2018–2023 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $9.6M | EF2 | 2018–2018 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Lynchburg city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lynchburg city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2018 | Tornado | (LYH)GLENN FLD LYNCH | 0 | 2 | $9.6M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extreme rainfall of 4 to 6 inches in several hours produced widespread flash flooding in the City of Lynchburg. The first reports began around 515 PM local time (415 PM EST) and continued for several hours with numerous roads closed by water running over them, vehicles flooded, water rescues and several properties flooded or threatened. Several apartment complexes and nearby cars were flooded. The runoff into College Lake caused water to overflow the dam (which is also Lakeside Road) to a depth of at least 12 to 18 inches and into Blackwater Creek. The overtopping is considered a partial failure of the dam but a complete failure of the structure was possible. This resulted in a Flash Flood Warning for a dam failure and subsequent evacuation of about 120 homes in the downstream watershed of Blackwater Creek. According to local City officials flood damage exceeded $18 million in roads, property and water control structure damages, the biggest to College Lake Dam.
This is the second segment of a tornado that touched down just south of Waterlink Road near Timberlake in Campbell County at 6:00 PM EST. The tornado crossed Timberlake Road and entered the independent city of Lynchburg at 6:03 PM EST. The tornado uprooted trees and caused notable damage to 332 private buildings, and 34 of those buildings were condemned due to the damage. It also damaged numerous power lines and transformers. Two people were injured. At 6:07 PM EST, the tornado left the independent city of Lynchburg, crossed the James River, and continued northward into Amherst County.
Thunderstorm winds blew down over 1,000 trees across the City of Lynchburg. Many power lines also came down as a direct result of the wind or trees and limbs falling on them. The winds damaged eight homes to the point of being deemed uninhabitable or destroyed. Damage values are estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
79,497
Population (ACS)
$230K
Median home value
17
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 Lynchburg city, Virginia?
178 events are on record between 1977 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $37.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lynchburg city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 99 recorded events — 55.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lynchburg city?
1 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 Lynchburg city?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lynchburg city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lynchburg city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lynchburg city as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lynchburg 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
- Lexington city 30
- Manassas city 80
- Manassas Park city 14
- Hopewell city 72
- Martinsville city 108
- Harrisonburg city 61
Cite this page
“Lynchburg city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/lynchburg-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.