Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Northampton; Hertford; Gates; Pasquotank; Camden; Western Currituck; Bertie; Chowan; Perquimans; Caroline; Brunswick; Dinwiddie; Prince George; Charles City; New Kent; Greensville; Sussex; Surry; James City; Southampton; Chesapeake; Western Hanover; Eastern Hanover; Western Chesterfield; Eastern Chesterfield (Including Col. Heights); Western Henrico (Including the City of Richmond); Eastern Henrico; Western King William; Eastern King William; Western King and Queen; Eastern King and Queen; Isle of Wight; Suffolk
James City County, Virginia severe weather history spans 240 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,177 nationally and #67 in Virginia.
240
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$12.6M
Property damage
The record
What the James City County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, James City County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 78 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 230 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the James City County, Virginia record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $10.5M 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 James City County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 104 | 0 | $1.4M | 71 | 1957–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 75 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Hail | 20 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1957–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $450K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $10.5M | F1 | 1993–2020 |
| Lightning | 8 | 1 | $119K | 0 | 2000–2014 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
James City County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 2 | 24 | 26.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-10-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-04-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in James City County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2003 | Lightning | JAMESTOWN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 1993 | Tornado | Newport News | 0 | 10 | $5.0M |
| Aug 5, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | GROVE | 0 | 5 | $1K |
| Jan 31, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | GROVE | 0 | 2 | $25K |
| Jan 11, 2006 | Tornado | JAMESTOWN | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| Nov 12, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Oct 14, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 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 2 miles south southeast of Williamsburg on the banks of the James River, destroying a recreation building and bath house and snapping numerous trees. It then moved into a trailer park at Blow Flats Road where five mobile homes were rolled over and it continued northeast and destroyed a storage trailer and a large metal manufacturing building and numerous trees were downed as well, blocking highways. The tornado then moved into York County, hitting the southern section of the Naval Weapons Station damaging several buildings and knocking down trees, it then dissipated in the western part of Yorktown.
At about 1510 EDT a tornado hit the south part of Newport News. It moved northeast across the south part of the city and across the south part of Hampton. It knocked down numerous trees, damaged many homes and injured eight people in Newport News and two in Hampton. A reported 163 homes were damaged in Newport News, with costs at approximately $1.2 million. Approximately 85 homes were damaged in Hampton estimated cost about $700,000.
A tornado touched down on the northern side of the Colonial Heritage Club just south of Norge. The tornado then tracked northwest toward Toano and downed several trees. One tree went through a house on Arthur Hill Road. A roof was blown off a house near Candle Station before the tornado lifted just to the east of Toano.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
81,013
Population (ACS)
$447K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Dec 18, 2018 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL | DR |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in James City County, Virginia?
240 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in James City County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 104 recorded events — 43.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed James City County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover James City County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include James City County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is James City County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates James City County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 53 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the James City 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
- Isle of Wight County 288
- King and Queen County 150
- Highland County 110
- King George County 257
- Henry County 639
- King William County 195
Cite this page
“James City County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/james-city-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.