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Louisa County, Virginia severe weather history spans 344 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,528 nationally and #35 in Virginia.
344
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Louisa County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Louisa County, Virginia severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 108 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 316 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Louisa County, Virginia record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.3M 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 Louisa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 215 | 0 | $1.2M | 78 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 50 | 0 | $23K | 3 | 1960–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 36 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $1.3M | F2 | 1962–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Louisa County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Louisa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2023 | Lightning | WARES XRDS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down in a wooded area east of Mineral in northeast Louisa County near Elk Creek Road. The tornado crossed Elk Creek Road producing EF0 damage in the trees, and knocked a tree down on a car on Gill Lane. The tornado proceeded north into an open field, before producing substantial damage to a restored 18th century two story home. EF2 damage was observed as the roof was removed and numerous hardwood trees on the property were snapped. More hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted immediately north of the property before crossing an arm of Lake Anna. The tornado then produced EF1 damage to the garage and trees at a residence along Beauregard Way, before lifting shortly thereafter.
Tornado first touched down along U.S. Route 15 near the Historic Sylvania Plantation, which is part of the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District. The tornado continued to move across the plantation, first shearing off several hardwood trees before encountering the Sylvania Plantation home that was built in 1746. The tornado peeled the roof off the house while tearing the porches off both the front and back of the house. It also uprooted several trees on the eastern side of the house. The tornado then impacted the pool area on the far side of the house knocking down the fence and throwing pool furniture in multiple directions. The tornado continued away from the pool reaching a row of trees about one tenth of a mile away before lifting off the ground. The funnel was observed for several miles before exiting the county.
Widespread wind damage occurred across Louisa County and was reported by several sources. Numerous trees and power lines were downed along the border of Louisa and Albemarle Counties near the town of Boswell's Tavern. There was structural damage to buildings there also. Damage occurred across the county towards Bumpass where the roof was torn off a fitness center and carried a considerable distance to rest on Route 33.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,980
Population (ACS)
$315K
Median home value
25
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 |
| May 10, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Louisa County, Virginia?
344 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $2.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Louisa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 215 recorded events — 62.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Louisa County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Louisa County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Louisa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Louisa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Louisa County as very low risk, placing it in the 32 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Louisa 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
- Loudoun County 1,089
- Lunenburg County 199
- Lee County 252
- Madison County 367
- Lancaster County 170
- Mathews County 124
Cite this page
“Louisa County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/louisa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.