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Henrico County, Virginia severe weather history spans 547 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #736 nationally and #13 in Virginia.
547
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$8.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Henrico County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Henrico County, Virginia severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 190 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 62 events fall before 1990 and 485 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Henrico County, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.3M 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 Henrico County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 295 | 2 | $1.5M | 70 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 105 | 0 | $15K | 2.4 | 1960–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 57 | 1 | $2.6M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 57 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 12 | 0 | $749K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $3.3M | F1 | 1956–2010 |
| Flood | 7 | 1 | $5K | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2022 |
Decade by decade
Henrico County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 11.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Henrico County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9, 1996 | Flood | EAST HIGHLAND PARK | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Aug 18, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | QUIOCCASIN | 1 | 0 | $3K |
| May 6, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | HIGHLAND SPGS | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 30, 2004 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $2.0M |
| Sep 23, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 14 | $0 | |
| Jul 22, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | SHORT PUMP | 0 | 4 | $10K |
| May 6, 2015 | Lightning | SHORT PUMP | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | BROOK HILL | 0 | 1 | $21K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado downed trees and power lines, and produced some siding and roof damage to homes. Many structures sustained damage from the tornado, with the most significant damage occurring as a result of trees and/or large branches falling on homes. Several homes were declared uninhabitable as a result. Most of the damage was EF0 in intensity, with a few areas in the western half of the tornado path reaching low end EF1 intensity. Maximum wind speeds were estimated around 90 mph. The tornado moved from Henrico County into Hanover County.
Numerous trees and large branches were downed on Gaskins Road between Peppertree Drive and Della Drive. Large tree was downed on a house with structural damage on Della Drive. Two large trees were downed on Leewal Court with damage to a home and vehicle.
A power pole was snapped with lines blocking Dickens Road at Wilton Office Park near the intersection with Staples Mill Road. One mature tree was uprooted, and two 12 inch diameter trees were snapped approximately 15 to 20 feet up the trunks.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
335,744
Population (ACS)
$359K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Short Pump 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Henrico County, Virginia?
547 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $8.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Henrico County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 295 recorded events — 53.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Henrico County?
14 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 Henrico County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Henrico County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Henrico County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henrico County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Henrico 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
- Hanover County 409
- Henry County 639
- Halifax County 753
- Highland County 110
- Greensville County 129
- Isle of Wight County 288
Cite this page
“Henrico County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/henrico-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.