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Culpeper County, Virginia severe weather history spans 481 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #945 nationally and #21 in Virginia.
481
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Culpeper County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Culpeper County, Virginia severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 216 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 468 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Culpeper County, Virginia record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.8M 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 Culpeper County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 255 | 0 | $1.2M | 70 | 1959–2025 |
| Flood | 91 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 53 | 0 | $283K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $90K | 4.5 | 1992–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $5.8M | F4 | 1983–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $30K | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2005 |
Decade by decade
Culpeper 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: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-09-24 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-10-13 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 5 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Culpeper County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1999 | Lightning | JEFFERSONTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| May 27, 2024 | Tornado | CORDOVA | 0 | 5 | $250K |
| Sep 24, 2001 | Tornado | RIXEYVILLE | 0 | 2 | $2.0M |
| Mar 21, 2003 | Lightning | CULPEPER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
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 Mitchells along Route 615. The tornado moved over several out buildings and homes. At least 12 homes sustained moderate to severe damage. Numerous trees were uprooted, and a shed was picked up off its foundation by the storm.
Hundreds of trees, branches, and wires blew down across northern Culpeper County between Amissville, Jeffersonton, and Rixeyville between 4:40 and 4:50 PM. Minor damage to farm buildings was reported, as well. This was part of the same destructive thunderstorm cluster that affected Fauquier County. Peak winds were estimated to be up to around 75 MPH in this area.
The stream gage on Hazel River near Rixeyville exceeded the 16 foot flood stage during the indicated period. The gage was washed away during the height of the flood, which was at least 10 feet over the flood stage. Significant flooding was reported in the Monumental Mills area, with homes and roads flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
54,397
Population (ACS)
$409K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 11, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Culpeper 105
- Rapidan 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Culpeper County, Virginia?
481 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Culpeper County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 255 recorded events — 53.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Culpeper County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Culpeper County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Culpeper County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Culpeper County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Culpeper County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Culpeper 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
- Craig County 97
- Cumberland County 157
- Clarke County 309
- Dickenson County 192
- Chesterfield County 626
- Dinwiddie County 244
Cite this page
“Culpeper County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/culpeper-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.