Prince William County, Virginia severe weather history spans 724 recorded events between 1975 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #373 nationally and #8 in Virginia.
724
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$15.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Prince William County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Prince William County, Virginia severe weather history averages 14.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 347 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 711 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Prince William County, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $8.4M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Prince William County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 333 | 1 | $8.4M | 78 | 1975–2026 |
| Flood | 182 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 84 | 0 | $315K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 83 | 0 | $2.0M | 2.25 | 1978–2026 |
| Tornado | 15 | 1 | $3.9M | F3 | 1978–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2005 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $121K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2022 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Prince William County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 6 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 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-09-27 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-06-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-10-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-10-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Prince William County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 1978 | Tornado | 1 | 10 | $250K | |
| Jul 29, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | MINNIEVILLE | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| Jun 2, 2019 | Lightning | NEABSCO | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUCKHALL | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Aug 3, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANASSAS ARPT | 0 | 1 | $1.5M |
| May 5, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | DALE CITY | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Dozens of large trees, branches, and wires blew down near Independent Hill, Woodbine, Canova, and Riverview Estates, including some onto cars and houses. Numerous trees blew down on northbound VA-234 Dumfries Road in the vicinity of VA-695 Sinclair Mill Road.
Dozens of trees, wires, and branches blew down in Lake Ridge, including about ten trees that fell onto houses. A tree blew down onto a house in the 12000 block of Mulberry Court, crushing the garage. A tree blew down onto a house in the 2000 block of Pembroke Court. Eight to ten large trees were uprooted near the intersection of Springwoods Drive and Old Bridge Road.
A tornadic thunderstorm moved through central Prince William County. This is the same storm that produced damage earlier in Stafford County. The initial touchdown in Prince William County was west of Dale City, near Independent Hill and Dumfries Road. The storm snapped or uprooted many large hardwood trees. Some of the trees fell on houses and other structures. The storm lifted and then reformed for the second touchdown in Manassas. Several homes suffered roof and shingle damage. An automobile was moved several feet. Damaged also occurred in Manassas Park and in Yorkshire Village. This tornado continued north into Fairfax County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
488,880
Population (ACS)
$530K
Median home value
20
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
- Bristow 171
- Aden 127
- Yorkshire 117
- Catharpin 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Prince William County, Virginia?
724 events are on record between 1975 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $15.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Prince William County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 333 recorded events — 46.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Prince William County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Prince William County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Prince William County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Prince William County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Prince William County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Prince William 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
- Pulaski County 335
- Prince George County 338
- Rappahannock County 274
- Prince Edward County 273
- Richmond County 265
- Powhatan County 192
Cite this page
“Prince William County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/prince-william-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.