Virginia Debris Flow History: Every Event Since 1998

The most significant on the map

The most significant debris flow episodes in Virginia.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The record

Events: 29
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Damage: $896,000

Every year

The most significant

Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.

Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 26 to 30, 20244 deaths · 6 injured · $276 million · EF2 · 46 eventsHurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning,…
Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Virginia, October 11 to 15, 20185 deaths · $17 million · 65 kt wind · 63 eventsHurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle as major hurricane (Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) on Wednesday afternoon, October 10th, 2018, then tracked northeastward with the northern portion of the storm circulation tracking across portions of…
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, April 12 to 14, 2020$1.7 million · 55 kt wind · 70 eventsA strong cold front extending from a complex surface low pressure system, brought intense thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and very heavy rain on April 12-13. The heavy rains resulted from a deep plume of tropical moisture lifted northward ahead of the cold front.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Virginia, May 24 to 25, 2020$1.7 million · 55 kt wind · 20 eventsLate afternoon thunderstorms developed along the southwest Virginia Blue Ridge and drifted southward into the foothills and piedmont producing intense rainfall over fairly saturated ground and causing some significant flash flooding and debris flows in parts of Franklin, Floyd…
Flash Flood and Debris Flow in Virginia, July 22 to 23, 2008$206,000 · 65 kt wind · 32 eventsA large outflow boundary from an overnight thunderstorm complex moved through the region during the morning and early afternoon hours of July 22. This prevented thunderstorm development until early evening when storms started developing.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, July 14 to 16, 2023$125,000 · 18 eventsA trough of low pressure was situated from Buckingham County, VA southeast through Alleghany County, NC during the evening of the 15th, while a cold front was advancing eastward across the mountains.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, September 21 to 22, 2021$58,000 · 21 eventsDeep tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicholas was lifted northward ahead of a strong cold front. Precipitable water values ranging from 1.9 to 2.2 inches were carried into southern Virginia during the evening of the 21st.
Debris Flow in Virginia, March 22, 1998$150,000 · 1 eventA portion of local route 627 slid down a cliff overlooking the Rappahannock River in southeastern King George Co. At least 1/2 the width of the road was removed.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, May 19 to 20, 2018$100,000 · 3 eventsA cluster of thunderstorms developed along a stationary front and produced torrential rains across parts of Patrick, Henry and Franklin counties. Rainfall was estimated at 2 to 3 inches in a few hours.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Virginia, August 12 to 15, 2020$40,000 · 10 eventsDeep moisture returned to the lower mid-Atlantic region during the period August 12th - 15th, with precipitable water values ranging from 1.6 to 1.9 inches each day.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, June 11, 2021$30,000 · 8 eventsWidely scattered thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of June 11th in an environment of strong afternoon heating as temperatures warmed into the low to mid 80s ahead of a backdoor cold front draped across northern Virginia.
Debris Flow in Virginia, January 26, 2021$25,000 · 1 eventA low pressure system passed across the lower mid-Atlantic during the early morning hours of January 26th, which produced 1 to 2 inches of rain across portions of the mountains of Virginia.
Debris Flow and Damaging Winds in Virginia, March 3, 2023$19,000 · 55 kt wind · 7 eventsA strong cold front passed through the region on March 3rd, 2023 and resulted in a line of storms that produced damaging wind gusts across southern Virginia.
Debris Flow and Hail in Virginia, July 18, 2006$19,000 · 55 kt wind · 6 eventsThunderstorms developed just in advance of a backdoor cold front entering the region. Some of these storms became severe and produced large hail and damaging winds. Hail ranged from penny to nickel size, and wind gusts in the 60 to 70 mph also accompanied some of the storms.
Flash Flood and Debris Flow in Virginia, July 30, 2025$15,000 · 4 eventsSlow moving thunderstorms with rainfall rates as high as 5 inches per hour caused localized flooding in the City of Radford and neighboring Montgomery County. Heavy rain also caused flooding and a landslide in and around the Town of Rich Creek, VA.
Debris Flow and Lightning Strike in Virginia, July 19, 2023$15,000 · 2 eventsA line of thunderstorms passed across Tazewell County during the early morning hours of July 19th, producing anywhere from 1.75 inches to 2.25 inches of rainfall within a hour. Automated rain gages indicated that rainfall rates at times were in excess of 3 inches per hour.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, August 20 to 22, 202010 eventsSouthwest winds aloft were responsible for carrying deep tropical moisture across the Piedmont during the morning of the 21st, while northeasterly flow near the surface was in place due to high pressure wedged against the eastern face of the Appalachians.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, May 13, 2025$5,000 · 1 in hail · 8 eventsAn upper low positioned over the Tennessee Valley, with numerous shortwaves rotating through it, brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the area for a few days. Surface low pressure over the Midwest also helped to prompt the development of thunderstorms.
Debris Flow and Hail in Virginia, July 19, 2013$8,000 · 1 in hail · 7 eventsA large upper level ridge was firmly anchored across the southern/central Appalachians with a very warm and humid air mass setting the stage for thunderstorm development.
Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Virginia, June 27 to 28, 20255 eventsScattered thunderstorms affected the southern Appalachian region on the evening of June 27th, and specifically far western Virginia where flash flooding occurred in Russell and Washington counties.
Flash Flood and Debris Flow in Virginia, May 11, 20152 eventsSlow-moving and persistent storms across parts of central and southern Grayson County produced rainfall of 1 to 3 inches with isolated amounts up to 5 inches in a few hours.
Debris Flow and Flood in Virginia, September 10, 20182 eventsEvening thunderstorms affected parts of Tazewell County with 1 to 3 inches falling in several hours.
Debris Flows in Virginia, July 30, 2020$10,000 · 2 eventsA very moisture rich atmosphere led to the formation of heavy rain producing showers and storms that crossed the same area. This build-up of rain in a localized spot helped to saturate the soil on sloped terrain. This process led to two separate debris flow.
Debris Flow in Virginia, July 6, 2008$10,000 · 1 eventShowers and thunderstorms developed along a stationary front. One of these storms produced enough rainfall to allow for a debris flow of mud and a tree to take place.

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Debris Flow everywhere Every kind of event in Virginia

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.