Montgomery County, Virginia severe weather history spans 513 recorded events between 1965 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #830 nationally and #17 in Virginia.
513
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$7.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Montgomery County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Montgomery County, Virginia severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 179 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 503 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $2.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Montgomery County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 0 | $1.6M | 96 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 164 | 0 | $15K | 2.25 | 1981–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 71 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $153K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $31K | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $502K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $2.6M | F1 | 1987–2021 |
Decade by decade
Montgomery 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: 5 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Montgomery County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Aug 30, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAGG | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Aug 18, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Blacksburg | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
There were numerous reports of roads flooded and some badly damaged across Montgomery County. The biggest impacts were in the western half of the county where 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a 6-hour period between 0700 LST and 1300 LST. The asphalt on Laurel Mill Ridge road was reportedly washed away. Meadow Creek Road had at least one foot of water rushing over it. Duck Pond Road was closed from Oak Lane to Smithfield. Radford Road was closed, Route 8 in Riner was partially flooded and an earth retaining wall gave way. Toms Creek was flooding a portion of Mt. Zion Road near Brooksfield Road. Plantation was closed due to 6 to 12 inches of water over the road.
Thunderstorm winds blew thousands of trees and branches down across the county. There were numerous reports of power lines being taken down by the wind or by falling trees or branches. Structural damage occurred to numerous homes that had trees fall on them. Parked vehicles also suffered damage when trees fell on them. One indirect fatality occurred when the driver of a motorcycle crashed into a tree being removed from a road hours after the event. Damage values are estimated.
Montgomery County was included in a Presidential Major Disaster declaration due mainly to the severe flooding associated with Tropical Storm Michael. At least four roads were reported closed across the county including in the Ellett Valley area. At least six inches of moving water was reported over Toms Creek Road near Redbud Road and Toms Creek was out of its banks and flooding Meadowbrook Road in Blacksburg. Elsewhere in Montgomery County 13-year-old became trapped in an all-terrain vehicle in a flooded creek and the New River Valley swift-water rescue team helped to rescue the teenager.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
99,101
Population (ACS)
$305K
Median home value
24
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Blacksburg 133
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Montgomery County, Virginia?
513 events are on record between 1965 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Montgomery County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 218 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Montgomery County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Montgomery County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Montgomery County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Montgomery County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Montgomery County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Montgomery 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
- Middlesex County 169
- Mecklenburg County 357
- Nelson County 404
- Mathews County 124
- New Kent County 183
- Madison County 367
Cite this page
“Montgomery County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/montgomery-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.