Newport News city, Virginia severe weather history spans 238 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,191 nationally and #68 in Virginia.
238
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Newport News city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Newport News city, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 209 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Newport News city, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.9M 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 Newport News city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 106 | 1 | $238K | 85 | 1961–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 49 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Hail | 23 | 0 | $1.0M | 2.75 | 1974–2023 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $2.9M | F3 | 1951–2019 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $182K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Newport News city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-09-05 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 10 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-08-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-10-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Newport News city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Sep 5, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado likely touched down as a waterspout over the Warwick River. The tornado tracked northeast through the Sanford, Carriage Hill, and Denbigh sections of Newport News. The tornado produced mainly tree damage, particularly near Sanford Elementary, and did destroy a small storage shed. The tornado then lifted before reaching Route 60 near Denbigh Village Center.
National Weather Service storm survey report concluded that straight line winds produced structural damage to buildings on Jefferson Avenue in Newport News. The hardest hit was the Old Point Packing Incorporated facility, where more considerable roof damage was incurred along with damage to the facade. Other nearby buildings had some damage to shingles, while there were also a couple of trees down. Top winds were estimated between 60 and 70 mph.
Strong gusty winds reaching 57 knots (66 miles per hour) produced widespread damage across the city. The most significant damage occurred at Meridian Parkside Apartments in Ivy Farms where three vehicles were pinned under several downed trees. No one was hurt. Several trees were also downed along Mercury Boulevard. Strong winds estimated at 52 knots (60 miles per hour) produced near zero visibilities along the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel due to coal dust from the nearby coal piers.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
184,216
Population (ACS)
$261K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Oct 15, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | DR |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MATTHEW | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Newport News city, Virginia?
238 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $5.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Newport News city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 106 recorded events — 44.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Newport News city?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Newport News city?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Newport News city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Newport News city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Newport News city as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Newport News city, 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
- Martinsville city 108
- Norfolk city 319
- Manassas Park city 14
- Manassas city 80
- Lynchburg city 178
- Norton city 39
Cite this page
“Newport News city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/newport-news-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.