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Nelson County, Virginia severe weather history spans 404 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,243 nationally and #27 in Virginia.
404
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Nelson County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nelson County, Virginia severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 170 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 397 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nelson County, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $1.6M 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 Nelson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 202 | 1 | $479K | 76 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 65 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 61 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Hail | 46 | 0 | $5K | 2.5 | 1968–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2003 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $337K | 0 | 1999–2002 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1996–1999 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $58K | F0 | 1995–2019 |
Decade by decade
Nelson County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 0 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 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nelson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | WARMINSTER | 1 | 0 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Nelson County Emergency Management reported significant structural damage to two homes in Shipman, VA. An NWS Storm Survey determined this was due to brief EF0 tornado. Part of a roof was removed from a home while a porch was lifted from its foundation. Several trees were uprooted and a car was even tipped over.
Tree damage was reported near Woods Mill and Faber. Trees blew down in the 200 block of VA-6 River Road. A tree blew down near the intersection of US-29/VA-6 Thomas Nelson Highway and VA-762 Floyd Lane. A tree blew down on VA-613 Rocky Road near VA-776 Grape Lawn Drive.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,732
Population (ACS)
$322K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| Mar 11, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nelson County, Virginia?
404 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $2.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nelson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 202 recorded events — 50.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nelson County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nelson County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nelson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nelson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nelson County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nelson 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
- New Kent County 183
- Montgomery County 513
- Middlesex County 169
- Northampton County 132
- Mecklenburg County 357
- Northumberland County 173
Cite this page
“Nelson County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/nelson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.