York County, Virginia severe weather history spans 237 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,198 nationally and #69 in Virginia.
237
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$11.5M
Property damage
The record
What the York County, Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, York County, Virginia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 74 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 223 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $11.0M 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 York County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 114 | 0 | $11.0M | 74 | 1973–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 49 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Hail | 27 | 0 | $1K | 2 | 1957–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $228K | F1 | 1951–2019 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $41K | 0 | 2000–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2018 |
Decade by decade
York County, Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 | Crossed in |
| 2003-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-11-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-08-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in York County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hampton City | 0 | 3 | $5.0M |
| Mar 22, 2011 | Lightning | MAGRUDER | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| May 2, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | YORKTOWN | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Jul 15, 2000 | Lightning | GRAFTON | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm produced extensive damage in the Hampton Roads area. The heaviest damage was suffered when straight-line winds flattened a six-unit condominium under construction at Southall Landings Condominium. Three men on the construction crew were injured when the building collapsed. Thunderstorm winds also damaged a building and knocked down a 199-foot radio tower at Gately Communications Inc., located at Industry Drive and 58th Street. A nearby church was also damaged. Power was knocked out to 10,700 Virginia Power customers. Total damage was estimated to be between $400 and $500 thousand.
Thunderstorms moved across southeast Virginia, producing damaging winds. Trees were blown down which damaged several homes in the city of Newport News. Golfball-size hail was also reported in Newport News. The thunderstorms downed trees and power lines and damaged homes in York County, and in the city of Norfolk. One person was struck and injured by lightning in the city of Norfolk and lightning also caused a house fire in the city of Norfolk.
Straight-line winds blew out windows to 20 vehicles parked at the Newport News Shipbuilding plant. Several motorcycles were flipped over, and a gangway to one of the ships was dislodged. Several power lines were also knocked down.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
71,005
Population (ACS)
$433K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Sep 3, 2011 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRENE | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in York County, Virginia?
237 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in York County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 114 recorded events — 48.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed York County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover York County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include York County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is York County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates York County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the York 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
- Wythe County 266
- Wise County 222
- Westmoreland County 213
- Washington County 299
- Warren County 310
- Tazewell County 391
Cite this page
“York County, Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/virginia/york-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.