Richmond County, Virginia severe weather history spans 265 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,005 nationally and #57 in Virginia.
265
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$4.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Richmond County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Richmond County, Virginia severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 119 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 254 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.4M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Richmond County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 133 | 0 | $344K | 62 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 51 | 0 | $664K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Hail | 32 | 0 | $5K | 2 | 1965–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $3.4M | F3 | 1966–2024 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2022 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Richmond County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-02-24 | EF3 | 0 | 25 | 30.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-11-02 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-01-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-08-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Richmond County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado crossed the Rappahannock River from Essex county into Richmond county. The tornado struck Naylors Beach as an EF2 tornado removing significant portions of the upper floor of one two story home and destroying several other smaller homes. At this point, the tornado was 300 yards wide with winds around 120 mph. The tornado then crossed Newland Road, weakening slightly to low end EF1 with winds around 90 mph and continuing to Tallent Town Road and Piney Grove Road. The tornado then tracked into Westmoreland county.
The tornado touched down just north and northeast of Sharps near Ivondale in Richmond County. The tornado tracked along Farnham Creek Road crossing Hales Point Road and Simonson Road. Hardwood trees were uprooted and snapped off. Power lines were downed. Peak winds were between 60 to 70 mph.
The tornado began 2 miles west of German's Corner in Richmond County, tracking southeast for about 6 miles passing near Naylors Beach and crossing Highway 360. Peak winds were between 70 and 80 mph. Hardwood trees were uprooted and snapped off. Power lines were downed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,095
Population (ACS)
$232K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 10, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wellford 228
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Richmond County, Virginia?
265 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Richmond County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 133 recorded events — 50.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Richmond County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Richmond County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Richmond County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Richmond County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Richmond County as very low risk, placing it in the 10 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Richmond 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
- Rappahannock County 274
- Roanoke County 457
- Pulaski County 335
- Rockbridge County 360
- Prince William County 724
- Rockingham County 521
Cite this page
“Richmond County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/richmond-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.