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Charles City County, Virginia severe weather history spans 116 recorded events between 1975 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,830 nationally and #104 in Virginia.
116
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$778K
Property damage
The record
What the Charles City County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Charles City County, Virginia severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 38 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 110 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $650K 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 Charles City County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 67 | 0 | $123K | 52 | 1983–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Hail | 10 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1981–2024 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $650K | F1 | 1975–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Charles City County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-10-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-10-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Crossed in |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down in the northwest part of Charles City County, 2 miles south southeast of Roxbury and moved northeast, crossing into the south central part of New Kent County about 1 mile north of Providence Forge. Numerous trees were uprooted or broken in both counties and in Charles City county several mobile homes were destroyed. Damages were estimated at $115,000.
The National Service in Wakefield confirmed an EF2 tornado just northeast of Charles City. The tornado touched down just east of The Glebe Lane about 1.7 miles northeast of Charles City causing some trees to be uprooted and snapped along Ruthville Road. Soon after crossing Ruthville Road, the tornado intensified to an EF2, causing extensive damage to Charles City Rod and Gun Club. The roof of the building was lifted off and blown partially off. In addition, the south facing exterior wall was blown in. The tornado continued tracking northeast, crossing Old Elam Cemetery Road and then The Glebe Lane, causing extensive tree damage including snapped and uprooted trees consistent with EF1 damage. The tornado then weakened to an EF0, before lifting just northeast of Sturgeon Point Road.
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 nine inches.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,627
Population (ACS)
$241K
Median home value
19
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Charles City County, Virginia?
116 events are on record between 1975 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $778K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Charles City County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 67 recorded events — 57.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Charles City County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Charles City County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Charles City County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Charles City County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Charles City County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Charles City County, 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
- Carroll County 366
- Charlotte County 359
- Caroline County 300
- Campbell County 600
- Chesterfield County 626
- Buckingham County 398
Cite this page
“Charles City County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/charles-city-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.