Roanoke city, Virginia severe weather history spans 176 recorded events between 1978 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 27.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,578 nationally and #90 in Virginia.
176
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$4.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Roanoke city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Roanoke city, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 82 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 168 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Roanoke city, Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $1.9M 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 Roanoke city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 48 | 1 | $1.3M | 70 | 1978–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 48 | 0 | $1.9M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Hail | 39 | 0 | $80K | 2 | 1998–2023 |
| Flood | 21 | 1 | $38K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $514K | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $350K | EF0 | 2008–2008 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Roanoke city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Roanoke city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | ROANOKE | 1 | 2 | $500 |
| Sep 17, 2018 | Flood | ROANOKE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2003 | Lightning | ROANOKE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 2, 2002 | Lightning | ROANOKE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 53-year old woman was reported to have drowned in the Roanoke River during flooding from Florence although details were lacking in terms of location and timing. The Roanoke River at Roanoke (RONV2) crested at 11.41 feet (10,200 cfs) around mid-day on the 17th. Minor flood stage is 10 feet. Several low water bridges and the Roanoke Greenway were flooded and closed. This was the highest stage since September 30, 2015 and was roughly a 2- to 5-year flood event (0.5 – 0.2 annual chance flood).
Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees across the City of Roanoke. The winds also blew a roof off a house, and power lines were downed. Roanoke Regional Airport measured at wind gust of 81 MPH. Damage values were estimated.
Flash flooding prompted Ore Branch to leave its banks. The area of Franklin Road and Brandon Avenue was flooded. The flash flooding caused the Ramada Inn in the 1900 block of Franklin Road to have its parking lot inundated. Numerous cars in the parking lot were floating in the water. Damage values are estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
98,355
Population (ACS)
$191K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Oct 1, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Roanoke 339
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Roanoke city, Virginia?
176 events are on record between 1978 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $4.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Roanoke city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 48 recorded events — 27.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Roanoke city?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Roanoke city?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Roanoke city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Roanoke city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Roanoke city as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Roanoke 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
- Salem city 76
- Richmond city 232
- Radford city 52
- Staunton city 60
- Portsmouth city 157
- Suffolk city 297
Cite this page
“Roanoke city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/roanoke-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.