Grayson County, Virginia severe weather history spans 232 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,236 nationally and #70 in Virginia.
232
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$27.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Grayson County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Grayson County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 95 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 226 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Grayson County, Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $23.8M 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 Grayson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 84 | 0 | $245K | 70 | 1962–2025 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $7K | 1.75 | 1984–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 1 | $23.8M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $145K | F1 | 1959–2022 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Grayson County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Grayson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Flash Flood | WHITETOP | 1 | 0 | $23.0M |
| Jun 24, 1998 | Lightning | WHITETOP | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 5, 1996 | Lightning | STEVENS CREEK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Considerable to catastrophic flash flooding occurred across Grayson County. This included at least 200 bridges or culverts that were completely washed out, making the roads impassible. Five large pipes were washed out in the county: three on Route 783 (Helton Creek Lane) and two on Route 749 (Cabin Creek).
The New River at Galax flooded with a crest of 9.36 feet (34,900 cfs) on the afternoon of the 13th. According to USGS data it was roughly a 5-year flood event (0.2 annual chance of occurrence). Several roads were flooded and there was some damage. Information on damage to roads and infrastructure provided by Virginia DOT.
In Grayson County at least eight roads were closed and up to six roads were damaged by flood waters. Winding Road near Fries was badly damaged. Several campgrounds along the New River were flooded although the New River near Galax (GAXV2) remained below flood stage, cresting at 6.21 feet (Action Stage – 7 ft.) early on the 25th. Damage estimates per VA DOT.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,287
Population (ACS)
$150K
Median home value
21
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 Grayson County, Virginia?
232 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $27.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Grayson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 84 recorded events — 36.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Grayson County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Grayson County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Grayson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Grayson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Grayson County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Grayson 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
- Goochland County 242
- Greene County 279
- Gloucester County 210
- Greensville County 129
- Giles County 294
- Halifax County 753
Cite this page
“Grayson County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/grayson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.