Radford city, Virginia severe weather history spans 52 recorded events between 1998 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,039 nationally and #126 in Virginia.
52
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$901K
Property damage
The record
What the Radford city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Radford city, Virginia severe weather history averages 1.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 20 events logged in that decade alone.
The costliest is flood, with $750K in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Radford city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 25 | 0 | $100K | 60 | 2000–2024 |
| Hail | 15 | 0 | $0 | 1 | 1998–2011 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $750K | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Radford city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
About 100 cars were partially or completely submerged at the Dedmon Center parking lot at Radford University when the New River overflowed its banks. Flooding on the New River was aggravated by water releases at Claytor Lake Dam which took place after midnight on January 31st. It is estimated that the New River near the Dedmon Center rose nine feet in one hour between 2:30 AM and 3:30 AM.
Flooding closed several streets in Radford with water over 2 feet deep reported on 2nd Street. In addition, up to 15 building on the Radford University campus had some water damage, with 12 of those described as significant damage. Two roads in Radford were also damaged, Wadsworth and Fairfax Streets.
Runoff from heavy rain was observed ponding across the intersection of East Main Street and Third Avenue several inches deep. No damage was reported to the intersection, which was open to traffic after the water receded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,726
Population (ACS)
$221K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Radford city, Virginia?
52 events are on record between 1998 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $901K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Radford city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 25 recorded events — 48.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Radford city?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Radford city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Radford city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Radford city as very low risk, placing it in the 3 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Radford 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
- Portsmouth city 157
- Richmond city 232
- Poquoson city 11
- Petersburg city 112
- Roanoke city 176
- Salem city 76
Cite this page
“Radford city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/radford-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.