Virginia tornado risk
133 counties scored 0 rated Very High
Henrico County has the highest tornado risk in Virginia, scoring 81 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Virginia have decreased 53% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henrico County | 81 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 2 | Chesterfield County | 76.8 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 3 | Prince William County | 76.5 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 4 | Loudoun County | 74.7 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 5 | Newport News | 74.1 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 6 | Norfolk | 74.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Chesapeake | 71.8 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 8 | Richmond | 66.8 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 9 | Virginia Beach | 66.7 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 10 | Danville | 61.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 11 | Hampton | 56.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 12 | Suffolk | 55.7 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 13 | Fairfax County | 54.5 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 14 | Albemarle County | 52.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 15 | Stafford County | 52.2 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 16 | James City County | 51.1 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 17 | Hanover County | 51 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 18 | Portsmouth | 51 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Spotsylvania County | 44.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Arlington County | 44.1 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 21 | Henry County | 43.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | York County | 42.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 23 | Pittsylvania County | 40.4 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 24 | Alexandria | 39.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Lee County | 34.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 26 | Halifax County | 34.3 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 27 | Augusta County | 34.1 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 28 | Mecklenburg County | 33.8 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 29 | Frederick County | 33.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Louisa County | 33.3 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 31 | Hopewell | 33.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Roanoke | 33 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Isle of Wight County | 32.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 34 | Lynchburg | 31.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 35 | Culpeper County | 31.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 36 | Carroll County | 30.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 37 | Caroline County | 30.2 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 38 | Washington County | 30.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Gloucester County | 29.9 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 40 | Rockingham County | 29.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 41 | Petersburg | 29 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 42 | Manassas | 28.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 43 | Dinwiddie County | 28.1 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 44 | Prince George County | 28 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 45 | Shenandoah County | 27.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 46 | Northumberland County | 27.2 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 47 | Westmoreland County | 26.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 48 | Martinsville | 26.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 49 | Prince Edward County | 26.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 50 | Powhatan County | 26 | Very Low | 3 |
| 51 | Orange County | 25.4 | Very Low | 2 |
| 52 | Winchester | 25.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Bedford County | 25.1 | Very Low | 6 |
| 54 | New Kent County | 24.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 55 | Goochland County | 24.8 | Very Low | 2 |
| 56 | Warren County | 24.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Roanoke County | 24.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Nottoway County | 24.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 59 | Charlottesville | 24.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Montgomery County | 23.7 | Very Low | 3 |
| 61 | Fluvanna County | 23.5 | Very Low | 3 |
| 62 | Southampton County | 23.4 | Very Low | 6 |
| 63 | Middlesex County | 23.2 | Very Low | 4 |
| 64 | Harrisonburg | 23.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Brunswick County | 23 | Very Low | 2 |
| 66 | Campbell County | 23 | Very Low | 4 |
| 67 | Essex County | 22.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 68 | Lunenburg County | 22.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 69 | Buckingham County | 22.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Northampton County | 22.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Amherst County | 22.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 72 | Wise County | 21.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Colonial Heights | 21.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Lancaster County | 21.4 | Very Low | 5 |
| 75 | Patrick County | 21.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 76 | Smyth County | 21.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Fredericksburg | 21 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Sussex County | 20.8 | Very Low | 2 |
| 79 | Richmond County | 20.3 | Very Low | 2 |
| 80 | Fairfax | 20.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Greensville County | 19.9 | Very Low | 3 |
| 82 | Scott County | 19.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 83 | Franklin | 19.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | Amelia County | 19.8 | Very Low | 2 |
| 85 | Nelson County | 19.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 86 | King William County | 19.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 87 | King and Queen County | 19.1 | Very Low | 2 |
| 88 | Williamsburg | 19 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Page County | 18.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 90 | Grayson County | 18.6 | Very Low | 2 |
| 91 | Accomack County | 18 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Franklin County | 17.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 93 | Charlotte County | 17.8 | Very Low | 1 |
| 94 | Pulaski County | 17.7 | Very Low | 2 |
| 95 | Cumberland County | 17.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 96 | Charles City County | 17.5 | Very Low | 1 |
| 97 | Mathews County | 16.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 98 | Manassas Park | 16.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 99 | Fauquier County | 16.5 | Very Low | 4 |
| 100 | Bristol | 16.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 101 | Russell County | 16.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 102 | Waynesboro | 16.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 103 | Emporia | 16.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 104 | Rockbridge County | 16 | Very Low | 1 |
| 105 | Staunton | 15.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 106 | Tazewell County | 15.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 107 | Appomattox County | 15.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 108 | Wythe County | 14.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 109 | Clarke County | 14.5 | Very Low | 2 |
| 110 | Greene County | 14.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 111 | Surry County | 14.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 112 | Madison County | 13.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 113 | Galax | 13.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 114 | Falls Church | 13 | Very Low | 0 |
| 115 | Poquoson | 13 | Very Low | 0 |
| 116 | Salem | 12.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 117 | King George County | 12.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 118 | Rappahannock County | 12.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 119 | Botetourt County | 12 | Very Low | 1 |
| 120 | Floyd County | 11 | Very Low | 0 |
| 121 | Norton | 10.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 122 | Giles County | 10.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 123 | Buchanan County | 9.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 124 | Lexington | 9.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 125 | Alleghany County | 9.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 126 | Dickenson County | 8.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 127 | Radford | 8.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 128 | Buena Vista | 7.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 129 | Covington | 5.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 130 | Craig County | 5.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 131 | Bland County | 5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 132 | Bath County | 4.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 133 | Highland County | 3.1 | Very Low | 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.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Virginia:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Virginia?
Henrico County, VA has the highest tornado risk in Virginia, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 81 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").
What causes tornado risk in Virginia?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.