States › Virginia › Arlington County

Arlington County, Virginia

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 51013 · 232,965 residents (2021) · 26 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 18Tornado · 4Flood · 72Wind · 208Winter · 132

Arlington County within Virginia. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 575 events for Arlington County, Virginia, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 2,211.8 events per 100 square miles, above the Virginia figure of 146.4, and 24.7 per 10,000 residents against 66.9 statewide.

13 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 3 deaths and 31 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $23M and crop damage at $6K.

FEMA has designated the county in 21 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 23 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 215 claims since 1978, of which 128 were paid, totalling $1.9M (about $15K per paid claim). FEMA counts 716 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($38M a year across 18 hazards).

39 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 1 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

13events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

575events since 19503 deaths, 31 injuries recorded

21disaster declarationslast 23 Jan 2026

215NFIP flood claims$1.9M paid

Compared with Virginia and the United States

Measure	Arlington County	Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	575	57,789	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	2,211.8	146.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	24.7	66.9	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	13	1,941	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	3	239	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$23M	$2.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.9	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$15K	$19K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	11.7	4.3	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1

Hail: 1Wind: 7

Hail: 1Tornado: 1Flood: 6Wind: 27Winter: 14Tropical: 2Heat: 4Cold: 1Drought: 6Lightning: 2Other: 1

Hail: 7Tornado: 1Flood: 13Wind: 50Winter: 29Tropical: 2Heat: 10Cold: 8Drought: 2Lightning: 3Fog: 6Other: 8

Hail: 3Tornado: 1Flood: 29Wind: 71Winter: 66Tropical: 1Heat: 30Cold: 14Lightning: 1Fog: 18

Hail: 5Tornado: 1Flood: 24Wind: 53Winter: 23Tropical: 1Heat: 9Cold: 5Fog: 7

01950s01960s11970s81980s651990s1392000s2342010s1282020s

Recorded events in Arlington County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterTropicalHeatColdDroughtLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 418 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 143 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind208

Winter132

Flood72

Heat53

Fog31

Cold28

Hail18

Other9

Drought8

Tropical6

Lightning6

Tornado4

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	208	—	0.9%	detail
■ Winter	132	1	1.3%	detail
■ Flood	72	1	0.9%	detail
■ Heat	53	1	4.0%
■ Fog	31	—	1.8%
■ Cold	28	—	1.6%
■ Hail	18	—	0.3%	detail
■ Other	9	—	0.3%
■ Drought	8	—	0.9%
■ Tropical	6	—	1.9%
■ Lightning	6	—	1.1%
■ Tornado	4	—	0.4%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
22 Jul 2003	Flash Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	1	County
14 Dec 2003	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
8 Jun 2008	Excessive Heat	Heat	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
16 Aug 1997	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	18	Forecast zone
24 Sep 2001	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$1.0M	—	—	2	County
1 Jul 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	60 mph	$10K	—	—	2	County
28 Jul 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	2	County
19 Aug 2011	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	2	County
31 Mar 1997	Strong Wind	Wind	—	$100K	—	—	1	Forecast zone
1 Jul 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$100K	—	—	1	County
13 Jan 2000	High Wind	Wind	64 mph	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
2 Mar 2018	High Wind	Wind	62 mph	—	—	—	1	Forecast zone
29 Jul 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$10M	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 2012	High Wind	Wind	61 mph	$4.5M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
25 Jun 2006	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
7 Sep 1996	Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Sep 1996	Storm Surge/Tide	Tropical	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
7 Aug 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
1 Jul 2021	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$500K	—	—	—	County
14 Feb 2003	Winter Storm	Winter	—	$400K	—	—	—	Forecast zone

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
23 Jan 2026	EM-3631	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
2 Apr 2020	DR-4512	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3448	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
11 Sep 2018	EM-3403	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Florence	Public assistance
7 Mar 2016	DR-4262	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
26 Nov 2012	DR-4092	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
29 Oct 2012	EM-3359	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
27 Jul 2012	DR-4072	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds	Public assistance
27 Apr 2010	DR-1905	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms	Public assistance
16 Feb 2010	DR-1874	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
13 Jul 2006	DR-1655	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Public assistance
12 Sep 2005	EM-3240	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
18 Sep 2003	DR-1491	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Isabel	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Mar 2003	DR-1458	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snowfall, Heavy Rain,Floodind, And Mudslide	Public assistance
21 Sep 2001	DR-1392	Major disaster	Terrorist	Fires And Explosions	Individual assistance, Public assistance
12 Sep 2001	EM-3168	Emergency	Fire	Fires And Explosions	—
28 Feb 2000	DR-1318	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms	Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1086	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
25 Mar 1993	EM-3112	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Jan 1977	DR-525	Major disaster	Freezing	Ice Conditions	Individual assistance
23 Jun 1972	DR-339	Major disaster	Flood	Tropical Storm Agnes	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Arlington County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978215

Paid claims128

Total paid$1.9M

Average paid claim$15K

Repetitive-loss properties80 severe

Residential policies in force7161.9% of 37,690 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	1	$944	$944
2025	2	1	$321,181	$321,181
2024	1	0	$0	—
2021	7	4	$32,151	$8,038
2020	4	4	$27,485	$6,871
2019	47	39	$1,139,625	$29,221
2018	17	10	$38,945	$3,895
2017	5	4	$16,754	$4,188
2016	1	0	$0	—
2015	3	2	$6,178	$3,089
2014	8	4	$6,617	$1,654
2013	5	3	$3,330	$1,110
2012	3	1	$1,857	$1,857
2011	17	10	$64,987	$6,499
2010	3	1	$3,428	$3,428
2009	2	0	$0	—
2008	3	2	$5,397	$2,699
2007	1	0	$0	—
2006	35	23	$188,996	$8,217
2005	2	0	$0	—
2003	9	3	$38,169	$12,723
2001	1	0	$0	—
1998	1	0	$0	—
1996	2	0	$0	—
1989	3	2	$10,101	$5,051

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 66.8 of 100

Expected annual loss$38MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$22,501,600
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$4,403,916
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$2,952,030
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$2,010,172
Tornado	Relatively Low	$1,494,179
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$1,420,917
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,211,498
Hail	Relatively Low	$639,415
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$616,625
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$380,909
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$153,593
Coastal flooding	Very Low	$33,609
Drought	Very Low	$3,435
Wildfire	Very Low	$2,693
Landslide	Very Low	$185

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles39

Tracks within 50 miles12

Hurricane strength within 50 miles1

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Elsa	2021	92 mi	58 mph
Isaias	2020	83 mi	69 mph
Zeta	2020	95 mi	52 mph
Sandy	2012	85 mi	63 mph
Hanna	2008	78 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	22 mi	46 mph
Isabel	2003	99 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	67 mi	69 mph
Danielle	1992	81 mi	46 mph
David	1979	78 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1963	68 mi	46 mph
Brenda	1960	98 mi	58 mph
Connie	1955	31 mi	69 mph
Diane	1955	51 mi	46 mph
Hazel	1954	91 mi	81 mph
Able	1952	43 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	62 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	40 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	55 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	38 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	26 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	13 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	40 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1928	78 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1928	64 mi	58 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

22207 79
22204 35
22205 33
22206 32
22202 15
22201 8
22213 8
22203 7

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Arlington County, VA?

NCEI records 18 hail events in Arlington County since 1950, in 12 different years; that is about 0.2 recorded events a year. 0 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Arlington County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 4 tornadoes in Arlington County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Arlington County?

23 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 21 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Arlington County, and how much was paid?

215 NFIP claims since 1978, 128 of them paid, for $1.9M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Arlington County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Arlington County compare with the rest of Virginia?

2,211.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 146.4 statewide, and 0.9 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 5.9. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.