County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Alleghany County, Virginia Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 316 storm events on record for Alleghany County, Virginia, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a thunderstorm wind event on 22 Jun 2026.

FEMA has 25 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is EM-3631 of 23 Jan 2026.

OpenFEMA has 213 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $2.9 million on these claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Alleghany County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Alleghany County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail392184
Tornado0000None on record
Flood378177
Wind143454926
Winter6618269
Other event types31Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events31610010953

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 133 of the 316 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Alleghany County beside the total of the counties of Virginia and of the United States
MeasureAlleghanyAll counties of VirginiaAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 202670.8136.849.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 2026210.962.552.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025243.581.0185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

47 miles SSE of POTTS CREEK. Damage estimate: $500

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

3 miles W of LOWMOOR. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile W of CLIFTON FORGE CITY. Damage estimate: $500

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile E of HEMATITE. Damage estimate: $500

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Flash Flood

1 mile W of FALLING SPG

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

4 miles ESE of NATURAL WELL. Damage estimate: $3 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles ESE of FALLING SPG. Damage estimate: $500

High Wind58 mph (50 knots, measured gust)

On record for the forecast zone

High Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $7 thousand

Flood

1 mile W of BLUE SPG RUN

Flood

1 mile SSW of CALLAGHAN

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

Winter Storm

On record for the forecast zone

High Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

On record for the forecast zone. Damage estimate: $8 thousand

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of LONGDALE. Damage estimate: $500

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile W of CLIFTON FORGE CITY. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Hail0.88 in, nickel size

2 miles W of LOWMOOR

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Alleghany County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s00000000000
1960s20000100003
1970s00001000001
1980s100510200110
1990s10201115311640
2000s64614931217218100
2010s131010101791051411109
2020s47712698 (part of the year)53

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 25 disaster declarations on record for Alleghany County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is EM-3631: SEVERE WINTER STORM.

Disaster declarations that name Alleghany County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
EM-3631EmergencyWinter StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4512Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3448EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
EM-3403EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE FLORENCEPublic
EM-3359EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE SANDYPublic
DR-4072Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDSPublic
DR-1874Major disasterSnowstormSEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORMPublic
DR-1655Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODINGPublic
EM-3240EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
DR-1570Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING FROM THE REMANANTS OF HURRICANE JEANNEIndividual
DR-1318Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORMSPublic
DR-1135Major disasterHurricaneHURRICANE FRAN AND ASSOCIATED SEVERE STORM CONDIndividual
DR-1098Major disasterFloodFLOODING, HIGH WINDS, AND WIND DRIVEN RAINPublic
DR-1098Major disasterFloodFLOODING, HIGH WINDS, AND WIND DRIVEN RAINIndividual, Public
DR-1086Major disasterSnowstormBLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM)Public
DR-1086Major disasterSnowstormBLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM)Public
DR-1014Major disasterSnowstormSEVERE ICE STORMS, FLOODINGPublic
EM-3112EmergencySnowstormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
EM-3112EmergencySnowstormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-755Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-755Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public
EM-3046EmergencyDroughtDROUGHTPublic
DR-339Major disasterFloodTROPICAL STORM AGNESIndividual, Public
DR-339Major disasterFloodTROPICAL STORM AGNESIndividual, Public
DR-274Major disasterHurricaneSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Virginia page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 213 NFIP claims on record for Alleghany County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $2,900,611 on 183 claims.

The county has 243.5 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 28 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 115 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.

NFIP claims in Alleghany County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s8311
1980s0111041000044
1990s0151027108088
2000s00012151510034
2010s2114002401033
2020s0200010 (part of the year)3

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 25 years
NFIP claims in Alleghany County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20251not shownnot shown
20212not shownnot shown
20181not shownnot shown
20162422$640,530
20134not shownnot shown
20121not shownnot shown
20111not shownnot shown
20102not shownnot shown
20071not shownnot shown
20065not shownnot shown
20051not shownnot shown
20041515$290,131
20031210$197,849
199887$106,664
19967159$606,689
19952not shownnot shown
19931not shownnot shown
199255$34,130
19911not shownnot shown
19854139$885,295
19831not shownnot shown
19821not shownnot shown
19811not shownnot shown
19793not shownnot shown
197888$18,248

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 28 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Very Low
Risk Index score
38.1 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Very Low
Expected Annual Loss
$11 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience rating
Relatively Moderate
National Risk Index of Alleghany County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
AvalancheRelatively Low$3,219
Cold waveRelatively Low$1,068,417
DroughtVery Low$14,352
EarthquakeVery Low$95,205
HailVery Low$50,329
Heat waveVery Low$2,840
HurricaneVery Low$110,245
Ice stormVery Low$8,623
Inland floodingRelatively Low$7,270,947
LandslideRelatively Low$22,900
LightningRelatively Moderate$336,327
Strong windRelatively High$1,709,251
TornadoVery Low$51,706
WildfireVery Low$5,849
Winter weatherRelatively Low$33,444

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 12 tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 12 tracks
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Alleghany County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Zeta202099 miles52 mph
Isabel200382 miles58 mph
Fran199693 miles46 mph
David197931 miles46 mph
Diane195566 miles52 mph
Able195280 miles52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm193444 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191561 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm1902100 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm189372 miles69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm188592 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm187890 miles58 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Alleghany County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 1 more ZIP Code has fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Callaghan
  • Clifton Forge
  • Cliftondale Park
  • Iron Gate
  • Low Moor
  • Mallow
  • Selma

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Alleghany County, Virginia: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/va/alleghany/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Alleghany County?
NCEI has no tornado event on record for Alleghany County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How large is the hail on record for Alleghany County?
NCEI has 39 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 6 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Alleghany County?
June has 57 of the 316 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Alleghany County?
The county has 243.5 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 28 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 115 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.