Flood in Virginia
Every flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Virginia, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
The most significant on the map
The most significant 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
- 3,464
- Deaths
- 20
- Injuries
- 6
- Damage
- $249 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- 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…
- Flooding in Virginia, January 19 to 22, 1996***River Flooding***High dewpoint temperatures melted most of the snow on the ground within 12 hours. The snow pack had a liquid equivalent between 2 to 3 inches.
- 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.
- 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 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 Flood in Virginia, June 4, 2008A stalled front resided across the Mid Atlantic during the afternoon and evening of June 4th, allowing moisture and instability to pool along the boundary.
- Flooding in Virginia, November 19 to 20, 2003Rains of 2 to 2.8 inches fell in a 12 to 18 hour period from late on the 18th into the afternoon of the 19th. Breaks Interstate Park measured 2.8 inches, Grundy had 2.4 inches, and Clintwood observed 2.2 inches.
- 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 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.
- Tornadoes and Flooding in Virginia, May 8 to 9, 2008A strong low pressure system crossed the Mid Atlantic during the afternoon and evening hours of May 8th. This system along with warm temperatures and high dew points triggered numerous strong to severe showers and thunderstorms 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 Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, May 15 to 18, 2014A deep upper level trough tapped into Gulf and Atlantic moisture which led to heavy rain across the Mid Atlantic. Tropical-like conditions resulted in showers and thunderstorms to persist before a cold front moved through later in the day.
- Flooding in Virginia, September 6 to 10, 1996The rapid runoff produced by the heavy rains from Fran caused substantial, damaging, and in some cases record river flooding across much of the northern Virginia watershed from late on the 6th until early on the 10th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Virginia, September 26 to 27, 2024Tropical Storm Helene caps off a several day heavy rainfall event in association with a stalled closed upper low with additional rain yielding catastrophic flash and river flooding, and significant wind damage as wet soils and strong wind gusts led to forest damage.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, April 19 to 20, 2015A prolonged heavy rainfall event with slow-moving boundary produced significant small stream and subsequent river flooding in the mountains of southwest VA beginning overnight Sunday, April 19th.
- Flooding and Heavy Snow in Virginia, March 4 to 5, 2015A warm front lifted north through the area on the 3rd. Rain amounts were mostly around 2 to 4 tenths of an inch. Late afternoon and evening temperatures rose into the 40s and 50s. Winds and dew points also increased.
- Flood in Virginia, June 25 to 27, 2006One fatality of a heavy rain event occurred on 27 June, when an 8-year old girl in Alleghany county (VA) was apparently swept into a drainage culvert near Dunlap Creek west of Covington.
- Flooding in Virginia, October 8 to 13, 2016The combination of a cold front moving through the Mid Atlantic and Post Tropical Cyclone Matthew tracking northeast just off the North Carolina and Virginia coasts, produced heavy rain which caused flooding across much of southeast Virginia from late Saturday afternoon, October…
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, May 13 to 14, 2025A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area. A long duration period of rain ensued, with rain rates exceeding two inches an hour during the afternoon and evening of May 13th.
- Tornado and Flooding in Virginia, July 10, 2014Scattered severe thunderstorms in advance of a cold front produced damaging winds, large hail, and one weak tornado across portions of south central and southeast Virginia. Scattered thunderstorms also produced heavy rain which caused some minor flooding.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, July 15, 2025A moist and unstable air mass was in place from July 14 through July 15. This allowed for widespread, slow-moving storms to move across portions of central, southern, and southeastern Virginia. These storms produced heavy rain and widespread flash flooding in two rounds.
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.