Fauquier County, Virginia severe weather history spans 787 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #303 nationally and #5 in Virginia.
787
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$11.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Fauquier County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fauquier County, Virginia severe weather history averages 10.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 290 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 767 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fauquier County, Virginia record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.2M 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 Fauquier County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 502 | 0 | $4.3M | 80 | 1960–2026 |
| Flood | 92 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $2.0M | 2.5 | 1960–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 53 | 0 | $298K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $5.2M | F3 | 1953–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 1999–2006 |
| Lightning | 7 | 2 | $56K | 0 | 1996–2004 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
Decade by decade
Fauquier County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-09-24 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-09-17 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-09-27 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-03-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fauquier County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2001 | Lightning | REMINGTON | 2 | 0 | $1K |
| Jun 3, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | The Plains | 0 | 15 | $250K |
| Sep 17, 2004 | Tornado | REMINGTON | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Sep 27, 1993 | Tornado | Warrenton | 0 | 2 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service meteorologist surveyed wind damage near Ada in Fauquier County, Virginia. A tornado touched down approximately 1.5 miles south of Ada in northern Fauquier County. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 5 miles. The tornado lifted 2 miles west of Marshall. The tornado downed and uprooted many trees along this path. Some stands of healthy trees were snapped off several feet above the base. Outbuildings were destroyed in a few locations. Approximately 15 structures were damaged due to the tornado, but much of this damage was due to falling trees. Direct wind damage to homes was limited to roof and siding damage. Despite the number of structures damaged, there were no injuries reported. This tornado has been rated F1 on the Fujita Scale.
An F2 tornado produced widespread structural damage to two subdivisions in northern Fauquier County.Some small items were turned into projectiles by this tornado and landed in trees and the sides of homes and some vehicles. There was substantial tree damage. Numerous large, healthy trees wereuprooted and snapped. This is the third tornado of this event in Fauquier.
A destructive thunderstorm blew down thousands of trees, tree limbs, wires, and poles across northern and west-central Fauquier County, with peak wind gusts estimated to be between 80 and 90 MPH. This storm affected the Delaplane, Marshall, and Ashville areas between 4:20 and 4:30 PM. Numerous large trees blew down onto power lines and poles along VA-731 Cobbler Mountain Road between Delaplane and Ashville. Dozens of large trees and tree limbs blew down onto I-66 near Marshall. Numerous trees blew down blocking US-17 Winchester Road near Old Tavern.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
74,577
Population (ACS)
$574K
Median home value
21
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
- Warrenton 119
- Remington 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fauquier County, Virginia?
787 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $11.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fauquier County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 502 recorded events — 63.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fauquier County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fauquier County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fauquier County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fauquier County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fauquier County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fauquier 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
- Fairfax County 1,489
- Floyd County 207
- Essex County 170
- Fluvanna County 189
- Franklin County 760
- Dinwiddie County 244
Cite this page
“Fauquier County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/fauquier-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.