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Petersburg city, Virginia severe weather history spans 112 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,844 nationally and #105 in Virginia.
112
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$31.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Petersburg city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Petersburg city, Virginia severe weather history averages 2.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 43 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 101 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $25.9M 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 Petersburg city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 40 | 0 | $207K | 61 | 1977–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 37 | 0 | $5.8M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Hail | 5 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1977–2005 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $25.9M | F3 | 1970–2012 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2021 |
Decade by decade
Petersburg city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-08-06 | EF4 | 4 | 246 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 5 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Petersburg city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2012 | Tornado | PETERSBURG | 0 | 5 | $175K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management in collaboration with the National Weather Service in Wakefield Virginia conducted a Virginia Incident Damage Assessment for the City of Petersburg after significant flooding on the night of July 14 into the morning of July 15. Widespread rainfall totals of 3-5 inches were observed across Petersburg with one report of 7.33 inches from the Petersburg, Dinwiddie County Airport ASOS/AWOS. The damage assessment found 38 damaged commercial buildings with a combined estimated damage of $3,863,288 and 16 damaged residential buildings with an estimated damage of $897,205. There was major damage to 9 commercial properties and 2 residential properties as well as minor damage to 14 commercial properties and 8 residential properties. The remainder of the properties noted above were affected by the flood waters, but were below minor damage criteria.
Tornado briefly touched down at the intersection of Farmer Street and Fairgrounds Road in the west section of Petersburg. There was extensive damage to a warehouse, including the roof being blown off the warehouse. Utility poles and powerlines were also downed in the vicinity.
The tornado tracked approximately 3 miles beginning on the western edge of Fort Hayes Common where a couple of trees were damaged. It then continued northeast through portions of the Battlefield Park, Oakhurst and East Walnut Hill sections of Petersburg. The tornado then crossed Interstate 95 causing minor damage, mainly windows blown out and signs damaged just east of the intersection of Route 460 and Hickory Hill Road. The last damage or debris was observed on the north side of the Petersburg National Battlefield. The tornado damage was characterized by trees, large limbs and power lines down. A number of trees fell on homes. The most significant damage occurred in the East Walnut Hill neighborhood and the northeast sections of the Oakhurst neighborhood.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,537
Population (ACS)
$189K
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 |
| Sep 3, 2011 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRENE | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Petersburg 224
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Petersburg city, Virginia?
112 events are on record between 1970 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $31.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Petersburg city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 40 recorded events — 35.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Petersburg city?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Petersburg city?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Petersburg city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Petersburg city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Petersburg city as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Petersburg 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
- Poquoson city 11
- Norton city 39
- Portsmouth city 157
- Norfolk city 319
- Radford city 52
- Newport News city 238
Cite this page
“Petersburg city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/petersburg-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.