727
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$12.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfax County, Virginia: 727 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 78. That places the county #29 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfax County, Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Fairfax County is the 2010s, when 283 of the county's 727 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Fairfax County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 48.8% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #29 for this hazard and #1 within Virginia, putting it in the 99.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Fairfax County with 222 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2025 | WELLINGTON | 65 | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| May 16, 2025 | GUM SPGS | 56 | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Jun 30, 2012 | BURKE | 61 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | FAIRFAX PARK | 61 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2008 | LAKE BARCROFT | 50 | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 27, 2008 | JOHNSONS CORNER | 50 | 0 | 3 | $5K |
| Aug 5, 2010 | CHESTERBROOK GARDENS | 52 | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| Jul 2, 2006 | ANNANDALE | 60 | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | (IAD)DULLES INTL ARP | 57 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | PEACOCK | 52 | $1K |
| Mar 16, 2026 | SUNSET HILLS | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | LINCOLNIA | 52 | $3K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | FAIRFAX PARK | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | FAIRFAX PARK | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | FAIRFAX PARK | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 25, 2025 | FAIRFAX PARK | 52 | $10K |
| Jul 12, 2025 | SUNSET HILLS | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 12, 2025 | RESTON | 52 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Fairfax County
- Flood 279
- Flash Flood 238
- Hail 182
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS Storm Survey indicated a wet microburst produced near 70 mph winds. A dozen homes were damaged near Woodland Road in Annandale. According to newspaper accounts, three of the homes were evacuated due to structural damages and gas leaks. The extensive tree damage was likely exacerbated by weakened tree roots from the significant rains that occurred just a week earlier in late June.
Dozens of trees and large branches blew down along George Washington Memorial Parkway between I-495 Capital Beltway and VA-123 Dolley Madison Boulevard/Chain Bridge Road. The roadway remained closed for nearly a week due to fallen trees.
Multiple trees were blown down near Chantilly and Reston, including near the intersection of Parapet Way and Oxon Road and on Lawyers Road. A portion of a tin roof was removed from an office building in the 14300 block of Willard Road, with numerous other trees blown down in the area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Fairfax County, Virginia?
727 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Fairfax County between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Fairfax County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Fairfax County measured 78.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Fairfax County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Fairfax County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/fairfax-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.