Tornado Watches in Virginia
346 tornado watches since 1986. An alert counts here when it covered any part of the state, so the counties below add up to more than the state. The archive of tornado watches reaches back to 1997.
Tornado Watches by county
Each county as a circle sized by its count since 1986. Tap one for its archive.
- Tornado Watches
- 346
- Busiest year
- 201126 tornado watches
- Average year
- 12over 30 years on file
Over time
By year
Watches are counted from 1997, when the Storm Prediction Center archive begins.
By month of the year
By county
Every county with at least one alert. A county page lists each alert that covered it.
- Southampton County135
- City of Franklin134
- Greensville County132
- City of Suffolk132
- Surry County131
- City of Emporia131
- Isle of Wight County128
- Sussex County127
- City of Chesapeake127
- City of Portsmouth126
- City of Virginia Beach126
- City of Newport News125
- City of Norfolk125
- City of Williamsburg123
- City of Hampton122
- York County121
- James City County120
- Brunswick County116
- Prince George County114
- Dinwiddie County113
- City of Poquoson113
- Charles City County112
- City of Hopewell111
- City of Petersburg111
- New Kent County110
- City of Colonial Heights107
- Chesterfield County106
- King and Queen County104
- King William County104
- Gloucester County104
- City of Richmond103
- Henrico County103
- Nottoway County102
- Amelia County101
- Mecklenburg County101
- Middlesex County100
- Lunenburg County100
- Mathews County99
- Hanover County95
- Powhatan County95
93 more counties
- Richmond County95
- Essex County94
- Lancaster County94
- Westmoreland County94
- Northumberland County93
- King George County90
- City of Danville90
- Cumberland County89
- Halifax County89
- Prince Edward County88
- Caroline County87
- Goochland County87
- Northampton County86
- Charlotte County86
- Stafford County85
- City of Fredericksburg85
- Spotsylvania County84
- Pittsylvania County81
- Accomack County79
- Campbell County78
- Louisa County78
- City of Alexandria77
- Buckingham County76
- Fairfax County76
- City of Fairfax76
- Appomattox County75
- Arlington County75
- Prince William County75
- City of Manassas75
- City of Falls Church74
- Fluvanna County73
- Culpeper County71
- Orange County70
- City of Manassas Park69
- Fauquier County67
- Henry County67
- City of Lynchburg67
- Loudoun County66
- City of Martinsville65
- Madison County61
- City of Charlottesville61
- Albemarle County59
- Lee County59
- Greene County57
- Rappahannock County57
- Bedford County56
- Franklin County55
- Patrick County55
- Amherst County53
- Wise County51
- City of Norton51
- Nelson County50
- Scott County50
- Warren County49
- Clarke County48
- Frederick County48
- City of Winchester48
- Page County47
- Russell County46
- Dickenson County45
- City of Bristol45
- Buchanan County44
- Shenandoah County44
- Washington County43
- Augusta County42
- City of Staunton42
- City of Waynesboro42
- Carroll County41
- Rockingham County41
- Floyd County40
- Rockbridge County40
- City of Buena Vista40
- City of Harrisonburg40
- City of Lexington40
- City of Galax39
- City of Radford39
- Montgomery County38
- City of Roanoke38
- City of Salem38
- Roanoke County37
- Botetourt County35
- Pulaski County34
- Alleghany County32
- Craig County32
- Grayson County32
- City of Covington32
- Highland County31
- Smyth County31
- Wythe County31
- Bland County30
- Giles County30
- Bath County29
- Tazewell County29
The latest tornado watches
The most recent on file, newest first.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2:58 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Arlington, Fairfax, King George, Prince William, Stafford, City of Alexandria and 5 more | 7 hr |
| Jul 28, 4:20 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Arlington, Fairfax, King George, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford and 6 more | 5 hr |
| Mar 16, 10:52 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Accomack, Amelia, Arlington, Brunswick, Caroline, Charles City and 68 more | 8 hr |
| Mar 16, 8:54 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt and 18 more | 5 hr |
| Mar 11, 1:45 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Clarke, Frederick, Loudoun, Shenandoah, Warren, City of Winchester | 6 hr |
Nearby
Sources
National Weather Service watches, warnings, advisories and statements from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's VTEC archive, which reconstructs tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood and marine warnings back to 1986 from the NWS text archive. Storm Prediction Center watches and mesoscale discussions from SPC's archive through the Mesonet. County centers from the US Census Bureau. Rebuilt daily.