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Surry County, Virginia severe weather history spans 181 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,544 nationally and #87 in Virginia.
181
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Surry County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Surry County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 174 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $815K in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Surry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 88 | 0 | $157K | 52 | 1974–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 35 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $815K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Hail | 12 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1974–2023 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $696K | F3 | 1978–2017 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Surry County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-16 | EF3 | 2 | 24 | 26.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 35.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-02-24 | EF1 | 3 | 8 | 8.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-30 | 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
Tornado developed just south of the Surry Nuclear Power Plant and then continued across the James River into the Kingsmill section of James City county. Numerous trees were downed or sheared off, and some damage to buildings and vehicles was reported at the plant.
Another tornado struck 1 mile west of the town of Surry. An apartment building on Route 626 west of Surry was damaged. The roof of three units was blown off as well as siding stripped off. The tornado moved northeast knocking down trees along its path until it lifted near the James River 4 miles northeast of Surry.
Another tornado struck 1 mile west of the town of Surry. An apartment building on Route 626 west of Surry was damaged. The roof of three units was blown off as well as siding stripped off. The tornado moved northeast knocking down trees along its path until it lifted near the James River 4 miles northeast of Surry.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,549
Population (ACS)
$239K
Median home value
21
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 26, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Surry County, Virginia?
181 events are on record between 1974 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Surry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 88 recorded events — 48.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Surry County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Surry County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Surry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Surry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Surry County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Surry 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
- Stafford County 460
- Sussex County 243
- Spotsylvania County 483
- Tazewell County 391
- Southampton County 287
- Warren County 310
Cite this page
“Surry County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/surry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.