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Chesapeake city, Virginia severe weather history spans 330 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,607 nationally and #38 in Virginia.
330
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$32.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Chesapeake city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chesapeake city, Virginia severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 317 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $20.7M 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 Chesapeake city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 143 | 0 | $433K | 70 | 1984–2026 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $31K | 3 | 1990–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 45 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $9.8M | F2 | 1969–2019 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $20.7M | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2025 |
Decade by decade
Chesapeake city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-04-08 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-08-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chesapeake city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At approximately 1600 EDT, a tornado moved through the Great Bridge area of Cheasapeake. It first struck along Hanbury Road near Great Bridge High School just west of Route 168 and moved east through Etheridge Manor and Etheridge Woods subdivisions. At least 35 homes were damaged. A brick two-car garage was flattened, several roofs were at least partially gone and numerous houses had the attic portion of the walls blown out. Numerous trees were blown down falling onto houses.
NWS storm survey determined that an EF0 tornado first touched down on Green Tree Road in Chesapeake causing damage to three warehouses. The tornado then quickly lifted off the ground and continued east. The tornado touched down again just east of Kempsville Road along Kemp Bridge Lane as an EF0 rapidly intensifying to EF1. On the east side of Kemp Bridge Lane, several homes lost sections of their roofs and outer walls were removed. Winds were approximately 97 mph. The tornado intensified as it moved east destroying a single wide mobile home (which was empty at the time, used as a work building) and severely damaged a metal storage building. The tornado at this point was approaching EF2 intensity. The tornado strengthened to an EF2 (120 mph) before striking the Real Life Christian Church on Centerville Turnpike. The church, a large metal constructed building, was destroyed by the tornado as the sanctuary was completely demolished. The tornado weakened some as it continued to travel east and then northeast across Stumpy Lake. The tornado then tracked northeast into Virginia Beach.
The tornado touched down near Delia Drive where it destroyed an RV and stripped siding off a house. The tornado moved north northeast and severely damaged a concession stand, a small barn and an outbuilding at Hickory Ridge Farm on Battlefield Boulevard. The tornado proceeded to cross Battlefield Boulevard then crossed Head of the River Road where it reached its strongest point with an estimated wind speed of up to 80 mph. Numerous pine trees were snapped, blocking the road and taking down power lines. Shingle loss less than 20 percent was also evident in the area. The tornado then crossed Beaverdam Road maintaining intensity near 75 mph. The tornado weakened as it crossed Land of Promise Road, but was still strong enough to down a pine tree into a house. The tornado dissipated shortly thereafter.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
252,583
Population (ACS)
$378K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MATTHEW | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chesapeake city, Virginia?
330 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $32.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chesapeake city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 143 recorded events — 43.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chesapeake city?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chesapeake city?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chesapeake city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chesapeake city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chesapeake city as relatively low risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chesapeake 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
- Charlottesville city 80
- Buena Vista city 27
- Colonial Heights city 82
- Bristol city 63
- Covington city 25
- Alexandria city 167
Cite this page
“Chesapeake city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/chesapeake-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.