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Rappahannock County, Virginia severe weather history spans 274 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,937 nationally and #53 in Virginia.
274
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Rappahannock County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rappahannock County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 264 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.6M 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 Rappahannock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 152 | 0 | $537K | 61 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 38 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $393K | 88 | 1996–2023 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $7K | 1.75 | 1956–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $2.6M | F2 | 1978–2008 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Rappahannock County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The National Weather Service surveyed wind damage in eastern Rappahannock County near Viewpoint, to just west of Amissville. A small tornado touched down initially near Routes 640 and 642 in Viewpoint, where metal roofing was peeled off a farm outbuilding, and a few small trees were knocked down. Along the path, mainly scattered F0 tree damage was found. The tornado crossed U.S. Route 211, about 2 miles west of Amissville before lifting near Jefferson Mountain. This tornado has been rated an F0 on the Fujita Scale.
Numerous trees and wires blew down around Flint Hill. At least seven trees blew down onto VA-637 Jericho Road between US-522 Zachary Taylor Highway and North Poes Road, especially near Fox Hall Farm Lane; one tree fell onto wires bringing down a pole. A tree blew down blocking the roadway on US-522 Zachary Taylor Highway near VA-641 Aileen Road. A tree also blew down in the 100 block of Grimsley Road.
Numerous trees and large tree limbs blew down near Chester Gap. Tree limbs went through the windshield of a car near the intersection of US-522 Zachary Taylor Highway and VA-662 Little Long Mountain Road. About 5 to 10 trees blew down in this area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,427
Population (ACS)
$506K
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 |
| Apr 2, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Dec 18, 2018 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL | DR |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FLORENCE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rappahannock County, Virginia?
274 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rappahannock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 152 recorded events — 55.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rappahannock County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rappahannock County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rappahannock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rappahannock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rappahannock County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rappahannock 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
- Richmond County 265
- Prince William County 724
- Roanoke County 457
- Rockbridge County 360
- Prince George County 338
Cite this page
“Rappahannock County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/rappahannock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.