Flash Flood in Virginia
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Virginia, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood 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
The record
- Events
- 4,323
- Deaths
- 43
- Injuries
- 13
- Damage
- $582 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Virginia, August 30, 2004Rainfall amounts between 4 and 7 inches resulted in numerous road closures due to flooding.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 26 to 30, 2024Hurricane 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, 2018Hurricane 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 Flooding in Virginia, September 18 to 21, 2003By 9 pm on September 18, a rain band associated with Isabel had set up over the Shenandoah Valley and showers were training southward into the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east side of Augusta County.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, May 30 to 31, 2018Upslope winds on the east side of the Blue Ridge just north of an approaching warm front aided in producing torrential rainfall and catastrophic flooding in parts of Central Virginia. Rainfall amounts of 4-10 inches occurred north and west of Charlottesville.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 24, 2001Five tornadoes touched down in Northern Virginia during the afternoon and early evening of the 24th. The thunderstorms which spawned them were created when a strong cold front moved through the region.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Virginia, September 7 to 8, 2011Abnormally moist atmosphere across the mid-Atlantic allowed showers and thunderstorms to produce exceptional rainfall rates across portions of northern Virginia|as the remnants of Tropical Depression Lee interacted with a nearly stationary boundary near the Mason-Dixon line.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, May 2 to 3, 2002Repetitive showers and thunderstorms moved rapidly across northern Buchanan County from west to east from the late morning to the early evening.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, April 27 to 28, 2011Widespread severe weather impacted the area. A strong upper level trough approaching from the west provided strong winds aloft, and a weak upper level low pressure system moved across during the afternoon hours setting off scattered thunderstorms.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Virginia, February 22 to 23, 2003Heavy rain over a long period of time caused small stream and urban flooding. A man who had been rescued once from the North Fork of the Roanoke River, returned to his truck with his father, and attempted to recover items from the truck.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Virginia, April 15 to 16, 2011A strong closed upper level low pressure moved across the Ohio valley, producing a variety of extreme weather across southwest Virginia. In advance of this system,|strong southeast winds produced wind damage across the higher elevations.
- Flash Flood in Virginia, September 6, 1996
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 15 to 25, 1999Very heavy rain from Hurricane Floyd produced widespread flooding and flash flooding across much of central and eastern Virginia, and northeast North Carolina.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, April 16 to 17, 2011A strong and closed low pressure system over the Ohio Valley remained nearly stationary through the 16th, bringing copious moisture northward up the eastern seaboard.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, September 14 to 20, 2018Hurricane Florence made landfall on the far southeast North Carolina coast on September 14th and tracked very slowly across South Carolina before slowly re-curving across far western North Carolina and southwest Virginia as Tropical Depression and on into the Ohio Valley.
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Virginia, July 3 to 5, 2013The synoptic pattern during the most of the first week of July was favorable for heavy precipitation as the Blacksburg Hydrologic Service Area (HSA) remained within a mean upper trough between two very strong ridges over the western U.S. and over the western Atlantic.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Virginia, June 15 to 16, 2004Heavy rain producing thunderstorms produced flashing flooding in and around Buena Vista in Rockbridge County, across southern sections of Henry and Patrick Counties. One thunderstorm produced a downburst in Henry County as well, downing a tree in Bassett.
- Flash Flood in Virginia, September 6, 1996
- Flash Flooding in Virginia, August 30, 2021A slow moving cold front approached the Ohio Valley from the north on August 30th combined with a weak upper level disturbance.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, August 7, 2000Scattered thunderstorms developed across northeast Virginia during the hot and humid afternoon and evening of the 7th. These thunderstorms produced winds in excess of 55 MPH, large hail, frequent lightning, and heavy rainfall.
- Flash Flood and Flood in Virginia, May 1 to 4, 2021A large thunderstorm complex moved east from the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys across southwest Virginia. The system caused dozens of trees to be toppled across the region.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, February 15 to 17, 2025A deep upper level trough was observed exiting the southern Rockies during the morning of February 15th, with southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough allowing for a fetch of deep moisture from the western Gulf of America.
- Flash Flood in Virginia, September 6, 1996*** Narrative for flash floods associated with "Fran" follow the Loudoun Co entry, start time 1100EST ***
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Virginia, September 16, 1999Hurricane Floyd made landfall just east of Cape Fear, North Carolina in the early morning hours of the 16th and moved north-northeast across extreme southeast Virginia to near Ocean City, Maryland by evening on the 16th.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, March 24 to 25, 2012A closed upper level low crossed the Appalachians from the Tennessee Valley. Meanwhile, a dry slot formed ahead of this feature allowing for increased instability over the mountains and foothills and promoting the development of discrete supercell storms.
More
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.