Clarke County, Virginia severe weather history spans 309 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,732 nationally and #43 in Virginia.
309
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Clarke County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clarke County, Virginia severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 128 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 293 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $2.1M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Clarke County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 193 | 0 | $735K | 74 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 43 | 0 | $2.1M | 2.25 | 1962–2025 |
| Flood | 30 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $343K | F2 | 1975–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $92K | 0 | 1996–1999 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Clarke County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-08-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clarke County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | WATERLOO | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An NWS survey concluded that a severe thunderstorm created an intermittent path of damage from Millwood east northeast to where Route 7 crosses the Blue Ridge near the Shenandoah Retreat area. At least 12 homes in that area were damaged, consisting of trees into houses, siding and roof damage. Winds were estimated near 80 to 90 mph. An areal survey observed that the trees were mainly all laid out parallel to the path of the storm. Local Emergency Management estimated total damages in the eastern portion of the county to be around $44,000.
As the tornado continued further west towards the top of the Blue Ridge, additional tree damage was observed in the vicinity of Blue Ridge Mountain Road and Morgans Mill Road where approximately two dozen trees were uprooted and others sustained branch damage. The tornado then dissipated as it moved westward into Clarke County, VA.
An NWS survey concluded that a small EF-1 tornado touched down in Millwood within a larger area of straight-line wind damage. Maximum winds were estimated to be 90 mph. In the Carter Hall area of Millwood, nearly all of the trees in one strand were uprooted or snapped and fell in nearly every direction.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,216
Population (ACS)
$550K
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 |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Mar 7, 2016 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Nov 26, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Berryville 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clarke County, Virginia?
309 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clarke County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 193 recorded events — 62.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clarke County?
10 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 Clarke County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clarke County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clarke County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clarke County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clarke 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
- Chesterfield County 626
- Craig County 97
- Culpeper County 481
- Charlotte County 359
- Cumberland County 157
- Charles City County 116
Cite this page
“Clarke County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/clarke-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.