States › Virginia › Botetourt County

Botetourt 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 51023 · 33,866 residents (2021) · 541 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 79Tornado · 3Flood · 77Wind · 212Winter · 74

Botetourt 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.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 481 storm events in Botetourt County, Virginia, led by damaging wind.

That is 88.9 events per 100 square miles, below the Virginia figure of 146.4, and 142.0 per 10,000 residents against 66.9 statewide.

13 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 3 deaths and 17 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $6.0M and crop damage at $4.6M.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 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 239 claims since 1978, of which 196 were paid, totalling $3.7M (about $19K per paid claim). FEMA counts 137 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($9.0M a year across 18 hazards).

16 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

13events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

481events since 19503 deaths, 17 injuries recorded

24disaster declarationslast 23 Jan 2026

239NFIP flood claims$3.7M paid

Compared with Virginia and the United States

Measure	Botetourt County	Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	481	57,789	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	88.9	146.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	142.0	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)	$6.0M	$2.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	7.1	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$19K	$19K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	13.9	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: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 1

Wind: 1

Wind: 3

Hail: 5Wind: 5

Hail: 11Flood: 11Wind: 17Winter: 13Cold: 6Drought: 6

Hail: 40Flood: 21Wind: 52Winter: 23Tropical: 1Cold: 3Drought: 1Lightning: 1

Hail: 17Tornado: 1Flood: 26Wind: 85Winter: 27Cold: 1Lightning: 4Other: 1

Hail: 5Tornado: 1Flood: 19Wind: 48Winter: 11Cold: 1Drought: 7Lightning: 1Other: 3

31950s11960s31970s101980s641990s1422000s1622010s962020s

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

Trend: 315 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 148 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

Wind212

Hail79

Flood77

Winter74

Drought14

Cold11

Lightning6

Other4

Tornado3

Tropical1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	212	—	0.9%	detail
■ Hail	79	—	1.3%	detail
■ Flood	77	1	0.9%	detail
■ Winter	74	2	0.7%	detail
■ Drought	14	—	1.6%
■ Cold	11	—	0.6%
■ Lightning	6	—	1.1%
■ Other	4	—	0.2%
■ Tornado	3	—	0.3%
■ Tropical	1	—	0.3%

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
26 Dec 2012	Winter Weather	Winter	—	—	—	1	1	Forecast zone
3 Jul 2013	Flood	Flood	—	—	—	1	—	County
22 Jan 2016	Winter Storm	Winter	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
29 Jun 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	$600K	—	—	13	County
7 Apr 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	69 mph	$20K	—	—	1	County
25 Apr 1989	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
18 May 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
9 Apr 2007	Frost/Freeze	Cold	—	—	$3.8M	—	—	Forecast zone
19 Jan 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.6M	—	—	—	County
19 Jan 1996	Flood	Flood	—	$700K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
6 Sep 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
16 Jun 2025	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
1 Oct 1998	Drought	Drought	—	—	$300K	—	—	Forecast zone
5 Aug 2003	Lightning	Lightning	—	$250K	—	—	—	County
17 Sep 2018	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$230K	—	—	—	County
9 Apr 1997	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	$100K	—	—	Forecast zone
10 Apr 1997	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	$100K	—	—	Forecast zone
15 Apr 1997	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	$100K	—	—	Forecast zone
16 Apr 1997	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	$100K	—	—	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
4 Apr 2025	DR-4863	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
1 Oct 2024	DR-4831	Major disaster	Tropical Storm	Tropical Storm Helene	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
15 Oct 2018	DR-4401	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Florence	Public assistance
11 Sep 2018	EM-3403	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Florence	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
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 Oct 2004	DR-1570	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding From The Remanants Of Hurricane Jeanne	Individual assistance
28 Feb 2000	DR-1318	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storms	Public assistance
6 Sep 1996	DR-1135	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Fran And Associated Severe Storm Cond	Individual assistance, Public assistance
27 Jan 1996	DR-1098	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding, High Winds, And Wind Driven Rain	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1086	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
10 Mar 1994	DR-1014	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Ice Storms, Flooding	Public assistance
25 Mar 1993	EM-3112	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
19 May 1992	DR-944	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
9 Nov 1985	DR-755	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Jul 1977	EM-3046	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
23 Jun 1972	DR-339	Major disaster	Flood	Tropical Storm Agnes	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Aug 1969	DR-274	Major disaster	Hurricane	Severe Storms & Flooding	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 Botetourt County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978239

Paid claims196

Total paid$3.7M

Average paid claim$19K

Repetitive-loss properties346 severe

Residential policies in force1371.0% of 14,456 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2025	6	3	$45,776	$15,259
2024	1	0	$0	—
2020	6	4	$51,047	$12,762
2019	1	1	$2,239	$2,239
2018	3	1	$2,557	$2,557
2017	2	1	$128,793	$128,793
2016	3	2	$22,671	$11,336
2013	1	1	$3,785	$3,785
2011	3	1	$23,274	$23,274
2009	2	1	$4,351	$4,351
2006	8	7	$135,640	$19,377
2004	26	25	$574,117	$22,965
2003	14	8	$132,863	$16,608
2000	1	0	$0	—
1998	2	2	$8,131	$4,065
1996	46	44	$1,076,455	$24,465
1995	12	9	$22,600	$2,511
1993	1	1	$1,973	$1,973
1992	22	16	$178,054	$11,128
1989	1	1	$500	$500
1987	13	11	$26,294	$2,390
1985	48	44	$1,162,617	$26,423
1983	1	1	$3,036	$3,036
1981	1	1	$1,258	$1,258
1980	1	1	$1,191	$1,191

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 riskVery Lowscore 18.1 of 100

Expected annual loss$9.0MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$6,953,731
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$553,283
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$549,891
Lightning	Relatively Low	$217,137
Hurricane	Very Low	$175,236
Earthquake	Very Low	$151,879
Tornado	Very Low	$122,129
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$54,184
Landslide	Relatively Low	$50,228
Hail	Very Low	$45,133
Drought	Very Low	$28,155
Heat wave	Very Low	$24,958
Ice storm	Very Low	$14,582
Wildfire	Very Low	$14,076
Avalanche	Very Low	$2,721

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 miles16

Tracks within 50 miles2

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Zeta	2020	89 mi	52 mph
Isabel	2003	87 mi	58 mph
Fran	1996	74 mi	46 mph
David	1979	16 mi	46 mph
Diane	1955	57 mi	58 mph
Able	1952	67 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	92 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	89 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	62 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1928	91 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	42 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	89 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	54 mi	69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1886	92 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1885	77 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1878	74 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

24066 75
24085 73
24175 27
24064 14
24077 10
23085 6
24090 5

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 Botetourt County, VA?

NCEI records 79 hail events in Botetourt County since 1950, in 29 different years; that is about 1.0 recorded events a year. 4 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Botetourt County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 3 tornadoes in Botetourt County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Botetourt County?

23 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 24 declarations since 1953.

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

239 NFIP claims since 1978, 196 of them paid, for $3.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Very 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 Botetourt County compare with the rest of Virginia?

88.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 146.4 statewide, and 7.1 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.