Virginia Beach city, Virginia severe weather history spans 458 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,026 nationally and #23 in Virginia.
458
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$36.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Virginia Beach city, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Virginia Beach city, Virginia severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 154 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 53 events fall before 1990 and 405 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Virginia Beach city, Virginia record is lightning, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $24.9M 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 Virginia Beach city
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 198 | 0 | $752K | 85 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 72 | 0 | $5.0M | 2.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 69 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 68 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $24.9M | F2 | 1967–2023 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Lightning | 14 | 3 | $369K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2023 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2000 |
Decade by decade
Virginia Beach city, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-08-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-04-08 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Virginia Beach city
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2000 | Lightning | NORTH VIRGINIA BEACH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2008 | Lightning | VIRGINIA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2004 | Lightning | VIRGINIA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2014 | Tornado | VIRGINIA BEACH | 0 | 10 | $300K |
| Jun 2, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| May 24, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | LANDTOWN | 0 | 5 | $3K |
| Jul 18, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jun 8, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 5 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning struck and killed a man doing yardwork near a tree in the Great Neck Point section of Virginia Beach. Witnesses said there was no rain falling in the area at the time, and described the bolt as coming out of clear skies.
A tornado formed over the eastern branch of Lynnhaven River in the City of Virginia Beach. The tornado progressed up River Road as an EF1, passing by the Great Neck Recreation Center. It increased to an EF2 intensity, as it moved into the Chelsea |neighborhood. The tornado continued onto Haversham Close with EF3 intensity. In this area, several homes were shifted off their foundations and roofs and upper walls were completely removed. The tornado then crossed Broad Bay and the eastern portion of Bay Island, clipping Windward Shore Drive as an EF1. It then moved over First Landing State Park and into Fort Story as an EF1, snapping trees, damaging barracks, and damaging several other buildings before moving offshore. Approximately 115 homes were damaged with 11 homes destroyed according to the City of Virginia Beach. Vehicles were overturned and boats were sunk and moved. There were no deaths and no injuries.
Microburst occurred in the area of Norfolk Avenue, Mediterranean Avenue, Pinewood Drive, and Lake Drive. Several large trees were downed, some of which brought down power lines and power poles. A church steeple was blown off and a car in the church parking lot was overturned. All damage was oriented from southeast to northwest.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
456,349
Population (ACS)
$383K
Median home value
18
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 Virginia Beach city, Virginia?
458 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $36.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Virginia Beach city?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 198 recorded events — 43.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Virginia Beach city?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Virginia Beach city?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Virginia Beach city, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Virginia Beach city compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Virginia Beach city as relatively low risk, placing it in the 58 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Virginia Beach 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
- Suffolk city 297
- Waynesboro city 52
- Staunton city 60
- Williamsburg city 85
- Winchester city 78
- Salem city 76
Cite this page
“Virginia Beach city, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/virginia-beach-city/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.