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Richmond city, Virginia severe weather history spans 232 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,236 nationally and #70 in Virginia.
232
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$21.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Richmond city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Richmond city, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 209 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Richmond city, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $20.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Richmond city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 82 | 0 | $246K | 61 | 1979–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 70 | 3 | $20.2M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 35 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Hail | 25 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1977–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $1.1M | F2 | 1951–2018 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2006–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2015–2024 |
Decade by decade
Richmond city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 11.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-02-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Richmond city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2004 | Flash Flood | RICHMOND | 3 | 0 | $20.0M |
| Jun 13, 1951 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Jun 1, 2015 | Lightning | RICHMOND | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Oct 27, 2010 | Tornado | RICHMOND | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Mar 25, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall amounts between 5 and 12 inches resulted in numerous road closures due to flooding. In addition, about 20 blocks of downtown Richmond were condemned due to the floodwaters. A brick building collapsed in the city's historic and low-lying Shockoe Bottom area, and several dozen buildings had extensive water damage after floodwaters reached depths of up to 10 feet.
Tornado downed trees and power lines, and produced some siding and roof damage to homes. Many structures sustained damage from the tornado, with the most significant damage occurring as a result of trees and/or large branches falling on homes. Several homes were declared uninhabitable as a result. Most of the damage was EF0 in intensity, with a few areas in the western half of the tornado path reaching low end EF1 intensity. Maximum wind speeds were estimated around 90 mph. The tornado moved from the City of Richmond into Henrico County.
An EF1 tornado touched down in the Stony Point area of the City of Richmond just south of West Huguenot Road. The tornado then tracked northward into Tuckahoe before lifting just south of Three Chopt Road. Numerous trees were downed or snapped with air conditioning units blown off the West End Church near West Parham Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
229,359
Population (ACS)
$353K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Richmond 268
- Wellford 124
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Richmond city, Virginia?
232 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $21.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Richmond city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 82 recorded events — 35.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Richmond city?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Richmond city?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Richmond city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Richmond city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Richmond city as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Richmond 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
- Radford city 52
- Roanoke city 176
- Salem city 76
- Portsmouth city 157
- Poquoson city 11
- Petersburg city 112
Cite this page
“Richmond city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/richmond-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.