Virginia drought risk
133 counties scored 0 rated Very High
Prince Edward County has the highest drought risk in Virginia, scoring 97.6 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince Edward County | 97.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 2 | Nottoway County | 97.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 3 | Cumberland County | 96.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 4 | Mecklenburg County | 96.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 5 | King and Queen County | 95.7 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 6 | Lancaster County | 95.6 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 7 | Brunswick County | 95.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 8 | Amelia County | 94.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 9 | Essex County | 94.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 10 | Dinwiddie County | 94 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 11 | Charles City County | 93.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 12 | Charlotte County | 93.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 13 | Suffolk | 93.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 14 | Lunenburg County | 92.2 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 15 | Halifax County | 92.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 16 | Isle of Wight County | 91.9 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 17 | Greensville County | 91.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 18 | Powhatan County | 91.5 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 19 | Northampton County | 91.3 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 20 | Hanover County | 91 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 21 | Sussex County | 88.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 22 | Southampton County | 88 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 23 | New Kent County | 87.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 24 | Northumberland County | 87.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 25 | King William County | 86.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 26 | James City County | 85.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 27 | Prince George County | 84.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 28 | Westmoreland County | 84.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 29 | Richmond County | 83.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 30 | Rockingham County | 82.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 31 | Buckingham County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 32 | Orange County | 82.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 33 | Surry County | 81.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 34 | Culpeper County | 81 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 35 | Albemarle County | 78.4 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 36 | Caroline County | 78.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 37 | Middlesex County | 78.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 38 | Henrico County | 77.8 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 39 | Gloucester County | 75.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 40 | Loudoun County | 74.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 41 | Pittsylvania County | 73.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 42 | Frederick County | 73 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 43 | Nelson County | 72.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 44 | Augusta County | 71.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 45 | Bedford County | 70.9 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 46 | Goochland County | 70.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 47 | Pulaski County | 68.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 48 | Louisa County | 68.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 49 | Henry County | 67.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 50 | Franklin County | 67.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 51 | Wythe County | 66.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 52 | Page County | 65.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 53 | Floyd County | 64.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 54 | Clarke County | 64 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 55 | Carroll County | 62.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 56 | Fluvanna County | 62.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 57 | Patrick County | 62.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 58 | King George County | 62.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 59 | Highland County | 61.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 60 | Smyth County | 61.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 61 | Grayson County | 60.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 62 | Accomack County | 59.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 63 | Chesterfield County | 59.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 64 | Tazewell County | 59.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 65 | Shenandoah County | 59.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 66 | Rappahannock County | 59 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 67 | Lee County | 57.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 68 | Madison County | 57.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 69 | Montgomery County | 56.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 70 | Warren County | 56 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 71 | Greene County | 54.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 72 | Prince William County | 54.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 73 | Campbell County | 53.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 74 | Stafford County | 53.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 75 | Washington County | 53.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 76 | Bland County | 51 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 77 | Mathews County | 48.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 78 | Russell County | 48.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 79 | Scott County | 46.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 80 | Spotsylvania County | 46.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 81 | Fauquier County | 45.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 82 | Appomattox County | 44.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 83 | Rockbridge County | 41.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 84 | Chesapeake | 40.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 85 | Amherst County | 37.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 86 | York County | 36.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 87 | Fairfax County | 33.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 88 | Wise County | 30.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Botetourt County | 28.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Alleghany County | 26.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Craig County | 24.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Roanoke County | 24 | Very Low | 0 |
| 93 | Bath County | 23.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 94 | Giles County | 22.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 95 | Virginia Beach | 22 | Very Low | 0 |
| 96 | Arlington County | 18 | Very Low | 0 |
| 97 | Buchanan County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 98 | Dickenson County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 99 | Alexandria | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 100 | Bristol | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 101 | Buena Vista | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 102 | Charlottesville | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 103 | Colonial Heights | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 104 | Covington | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 105 | Danville | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 106 | Emporia | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 107 | Fairfax | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 108 | Falls Church | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 109 | Franklin | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 110 | Fredericksburg | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 111 | Galax | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 112 | Hampton | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 113 | Harrisonburg | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 114 | Hopewell | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 115 | Lexington | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 116 | Lynchburg | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 117 | Manassas | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 118 | Manassas Park | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 119 | Martinsville | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 120 | Newport News | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 121 | Norfolk | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 122 | Norton | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 123 | Petersburg | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 124 | Poquoson | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 125 | Portsmouth | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 126 | Radford | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 127 | Richmond | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 128 | Roanoke | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 129 | Salem | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 130 | Staunton | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 131 | Waynesboro | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 132 | Williamsburg | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 133 | Winchester | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Drought risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Virginia:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest drought risk county in Virginia?
Prince Edward County, VA has the highest drought risk in Virginia, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 97.6 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes drought risk in Virginia?
Drought risk captures expected annual losses from prolonged precipitation deficits affecting agriculture, water supply, and ecosystems. High scores cover the western Great Plains, Southwest, and California's Central Valley. Climate change is increasing drought frequency and severity across much of the US, with multi-year droughts becoming more common in the West.