Tornadoes · United States · Virginia

Tornadoes in Orange County, Virginia

14 tornadoes have crossed Orange County since 1950, 18th of the 114 counties in Virginia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 5.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 2. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes: 14
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
F4 and above: 0
Worst on record: F3, October 18, 1990

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 11 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Orange County. Each year links to every tornado in Virginia that year.

Year	Tornadoes	Injuries	Strongest
2017	2		EF1
2011	1		EF0
2004	3		F2
2002	1		F1
2001	1		F1
1999	1		F1
1997	1		F0
1995	1		F1
1990	1	1	F3
1977	1	1	F1
1965	1		F2

Every tornado that crossed Orange County

14 tornadoes, newest first.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 5, 2017	8:17 AM EDT	EF1	Orange	0.9	100
April 6, 2017	12:29 PM EDT	EF0	Orange	2.6	175
October 13, 2011	4:05 PM EDT	EF0	Orange	1.4	50		$5,000
September 17, 2004	5:28 PM EDT	F2	Orange	7.0	100		$70,000
September 17, 2004	5:15 PM EDT	F1	Orange	3.0	100		$150,000
September 8, 2004	6:40 PM EDT	F0	Orange	0.3	50		$10,000
June 6, 2002	5:45 PM EDT	F1	Orange	1.0	100		$10,000
September 24, 2001	3:35 PM EDT	F1	Orange	0.2	25		$10,000
July 24, 1999	1:55 PM EDT	F1	Spotsylvania	18.0	0		$230,000
September 10, 1997	5:45 PM EDT	F0	Orange	0.2	10
July 21, 1995	2:40 PM EDT	F1	Orange	0.5	50		$50,000 to $500,000
October 18, 1990	12:15 PM EDT	F3	Orange	3.5	33	1	$500,000 to $5 million
July 19, 1977	5:15 PM EDT	F1	Orange	0.2	17	1	$5,000 to $50,000
August 17, 1965	9:55 PM GMT-4	F2	Orange	0.1	10		$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Orange County The forecast for Orange County The live radar over Orange County Every county in Virginia

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.