Loudoun County, Virginia severe weather history spans 1,089 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #110 nationally and #2 in Virginia.
1,089
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$25.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Loudoun County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Loudoun County, Virginia severe weather history averages 15.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 440 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 1,045 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Loudoun County, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.3M 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 Loudoun County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 678 | 1 | $3.9M | 87 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 170 | 0 | $7.5M | 5 | 1961–2025 |
| Flood | 109 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 70 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $11.3M | F2 | 1954–2024 |
| Lightning | 17 | 0 | $986K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Loudoun County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-09-05 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Loudoun County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEESBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 5, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | PURCELLVILLE | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| May 13, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | MIDDLEBURG | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Aug 17, 1997 | Lightning | STERLING | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm moved into eastern Loudoun County from Fairfax County near the Dulles International Airport. The storm produced a tornado which touched down at Dulles International Airport and passed within one half mile of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Sterling. This prompted the staff on duty to seek shelter in the office constructed saferoom. As the storm traveled north from the Dulles International Airport, it produced minor tree damage. More extensive damage occurred north of Waxpool Road at the Beaumede Corporate Park. Seven buildings were damaged. A wall collapsed in one of the buildings. A tractor trailer was overturned. The tornado also pushed two cars into the side of a building. The tornado weakened as it traveled north. The last damage in Loudoun County was reported just north of Route 7.
A tornado touched down in western Loudoun County. This storm was a continuation of a track of the storm that moved through Fauquier County Virginia. The storm first touched down south of Hamilton and, intermittent damage was noted from Hamilton to Lovettsville. A farm near Hamilton suffered severe damage. The farmhouse, horse barn and outbuildings were severely damaged or demolished. Two thoroughbred horses were cut by flying debris. The tornado produced damage along a 12 mile track. This storm continued to travel north into Maryland and produced damage in extreme southwest Frederick and eastern Washington Counties.
A tornado touched down approximately 0.5 mile southwest of Saint Louis in the southern part of Loudoun County, and moved east northeast for about 1.7 miles. The storm knocked down and damaged hundreds of trees. On the Innerhouse Farm, roofs of two barns were blown off, windows were blown out and fences were ripped up.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
432,998
Population (ACS)
$744K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Nov 26, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Leesburg 139
- Purcellville 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Loudoun County, Virginia?
1,089 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $25.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Loudoun County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 678 recorded events — 62.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Loudoun County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Loudoun County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Loudoun County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Loudoun County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Loudoun County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Loudoun 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
- Lee County 252
- Louisa County 344
- Lancaster County 170
- Lunenburg County 199
- King William County 195
- Madison County 367
Cite this page
“Loudoun County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/loudoun-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.