56
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.1M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Roanoke County, Virginia: 56 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #519 nationally and #21 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Roanoke County, Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Roanoke County is the 2010s, when 22 of the county's 56 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Roanoke County archive, flash flood makes up 12.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #519 for this hazard and #21 within Virginia, putting it in the 83.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Roanoke County with 16 recorded events, while Mar is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2025 | ROANOKE CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2025 | MEDLEY | 0 | $50K |
| Aug 21, 2025 | ROANOKE CITY | 0 | $15K |
| Aug 21, 2025 | SUNSET VLG | 0 | $150K |
| Feb 15, 2025 | BRADSHAW | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2024 | ROANOKE CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2020 | BONSACK | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2020 | VINTON | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | LESLIE | 0 | $5K |
| Oct 11, 2018 | AIRPORT | 0 | $755K |
Other hazards here
More from Roanoke County
- Thunderstorm Wind 211
- Hail 138
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple reports of flash flooding in Roanoke County. Most of the reports were between 230 and 500 PM EST. Several roads were closed or damaged and at least 20 homes partially flooded. Garst Mill Park was flooded to a depth of several feet. The main cause of flooding was from Mudlick Creek which rose approximately 10 feet in elevation to an estimated flow of 2400 cubic feet per second per a post-flood survey. The survey indicated that the flood was approximately a 10-year recurrence interval (0.1 annual exceedance probability).
Roanoke County was included in the Presidential Major Disaster declaration with significant damage to roads and other structures. Route 744E from Bottom Creek Road to Bent Mountain Road was closed due to a washout. Radar estimated 4 to 6 inches of rain over the southwest part of the county in the 24- hours ending 1200z (700 AM local time) and several IFLOWS rain gages had 4+ inches including 4.40 inches at Witt's Orchard (WITV2) and 4.21 inches at Poor Mtn. (POOV2). The areal extent of flooding was adjusted per runoff from the CREST hydrologic model.
Urban flash flooding was observed in parts of the Roanoke metro area with numerous flooded roadways throughout the city and reports of people trapped in flooded cars. Numerous stranded and abandoned vehicles were located along Salem Avenue in Roanoke with water up to car mirrors in some locations. A swift water team performed a rescue from a car at the corner of Loudon Ave. and 19th Street in Roanoke. Flash flooding was also reported via Twitter at the Shaffers crossing underpass, a very flood prone area. The Roanoke Airport ASOS (ROA) measured 1.58 from the storm and Roanoke 8N COOP (ROAV2) 1.62. Despite the impacts, for a 1-hour period the rainfall was only about a 5-year annual recurrence interval (0.20 Annual Exceedance Probability).
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Roanoke County, Virginia?
56 flash flood events are recorded in Roanoke County between 1996 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Roanoke County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Roanoke County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Roanoke County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Roanoke County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/roanoke-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.