Craig County, Virginia severe weather history spans 97 recorded events between 1988 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,892 nationally and #109 in Virginia.
97
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Craig County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Craig County, Virginia severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 30 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 1 events fall before 1990 and 96 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $575K 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 Craig County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 48 | 0 | $575K | 80 | 1988–2024 |
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $10K | 1.75 | 1996–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $342K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $127K | 0 | 2017–2020 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $124K | EF1 | 2018–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Craig County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The COOP station at New Castle (NWCV2) had a 2-day rainfall total of 4.77 inches ending at 700 AM EST on the 22nd which was a record for the month of May and 9th highest for any 2-day period. For the 3-day period ending the same day, the station recorded 6.12 inches, the highest ever for May and 4th highest for any 3-day period. The 3-day total was in 90 confidence interval (5.65-6.63 inches) for a 25-year rainfall event (.04 annual chance of occurrence). Extensive road damage was reported by VDOT in the County.
A tornado briefly touched down just south of Hawkins Lane and headed northward at 4:03 PM EST. It crossed Hawkins Lane and Wild Cat Hollow Road before lifting at 4:04 PM EST. The tornado caused considerable damage to trees, homes, and outbuildings. Six homes had roof shingles and vinyl siding ripped off by the tornado. Several outbuildings and garages were destroyed. The tornado also flipped one truck upside down on to another damaged vehicle, and it also lofted small debris over 100 yards. The estimated maximum winds were 105 MPH.
The Craig Creek at Abbott (ABBV2) IFLOWS gage crested at 10.6 feet around midday on May 21st. This was the 3rd highest crest in the fairly short (since around 2010) and erratic history at this gage site. Some roads were flooded and partially damaged Craig County according to VDOT information.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,856
Population (ACS)
$189K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Craig County, Virginia?
97 events are on record between 1988 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Craig County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 48 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Craig County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Craig County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Craig County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Craig County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Craig County as very low risk, placing it in the 6 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Craig 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
- Clarke County 309
- Culpeper County 481
- Chesterfield County 626
- Cumberland County 157
- Dickenson County 192
- Charlotte County 359
Cite this page
“Craig County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/craig-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.