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Southampton County, Virginia severe weather history spans 287 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,851 nationally and #49 in Virginia.
287
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$11.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Southampton County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Southampton County, Virginia severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 82 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 276 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Southampton County, Virginia record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $9.0M 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 Southampton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 149 | 0 | $373K | 74 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 46 | 0 | $15K | 2 | 1959–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 32 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $602K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $9.0M | F2 | 1961–2023 |
| Flood | 6 | 1 | $1.5M | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $13K | 0 | 2009–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
Decade by decade
Southampton County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Southampton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9, 2011 | Flood | SEBRELL | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The driver of a vehicle drowned after the vehicle struck standing water, hydroplaned, went off Route 35 and into a swamp just southeast of Sebrell. The vehicle became submerged into the water. There was ten to twelve inches of water on the road at the time of the accident. The passenger was able to escape from the vehicle.
A damage survey conducted by the NWS Wakefield office found a path of storm damage consistent with an EF2 tornado. The damage began near the Southampton Power Station off General Thomas Highway and ended 4 miles north of Sebrell near Farmers Bridge Road. The tornado first touched down in a wooded area and caused numerous trees to be snapped about 6 miles southeast of Courtland. The tornado then moved northeast and into Courtland, where it caused damage to numerous homes and businesses along Highway 58, including lifting the second story roof off a hotel building. Several vehicles were also overturned. The tornado then continued to travel northeast where more trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado finally lifted just north of Sebrell near Farmers Bridge Road.
A tornado was reported at a family farm on White Marsh road. Trees were reported broken and twisted. An 80-foot tall grain elevator was lifted off its concrete foundation and tossed approximately 50 feet. A 50-foot tall cedar tree as well as other trees were toppled. Several windows at the adjacent farm house were shattered by the strong winds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,964
Population (ACS)
$216K
Median home value
13
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 |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MATTHEW | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Southampton County, Virginia?
287 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $11.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Southampton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 149 recorded events — 51.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Southampton County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Southampton County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Southampton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Southampton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Southampton County as very low risk, placing it in the 30 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Southampton 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
- Smyth County 285
- Spotsylvania County 483
- Shenandoah County 492
- Stafford County 460
- Scott County 228
- Surry County 181
Cite this page
“Southampton County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/southampton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.