States › Virginia › Fauquier County

Fauquier 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 51061 · 73,815 residents (2021) · 648 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 87Tornado · 28Flood · 157Wind · 528Winter · 72

Fauquier 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 972 events for Fauquier County, Virginia, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 150.0 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Virginia figure of 146.4, and 131.7 per 10,000 residents against 66.9 statewide.

38 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 28 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $15M and crop damage at $8.5M.

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 33 claims since 1978, of which 16 were paid, totalling $175K (about $11K per paid claim). FEMA counts 138 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" ($22M a year across 18 hazards).

32 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 2 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

38events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

972events since 19502 deaths, 28 injuries recorded

21disaster declarationslast 23 Jan 2026

33NFIP flood claims$175K paid

Compared with Virginia and the United States

Measure	Fauquier County	Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	972	57,789	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	150.0	146.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	131.7	66.9	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	38	1,941	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	2	239	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$15M	$2.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	0.4	5.9	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$11K	$19K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	9.4	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

Tornado: 2

Hail: 1Wind: 1

Tornado: 1Wind: 5

Hail: 3Tornado: 1Wind: 6

Hail: 22Tornado: 5Flood: 15Wind: 58Winter: 19Heat: 8Cold: 2Drought: 9Lightning: 4Other: 3

Hail: 34Tornado: 13Flood: 27Wind: 113Winter: 52Heat: 17Cold: 16Drought: 3Lightning: 3Fog: 19Other: 16

Hail: 23Tornado: 6Flood: 74Wind: 188Winter: 1

Hail: 4Flood: 41Wind: 157

21950s21960s61970s101980s1451990s3132000s2922010s2022020s

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

Trend: 591 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 355 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

Wind528

Flood157

Hail87

Winter72

Tornado28

Heat25

Fog19

Other19

Cold18

Drought12

Lightning7

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	528	—	2.3%	detail
■ Flood	157	—	1.9%	detail
■ Hail	87	—	1.4%	detail
■ Winter	72	—	0.7%	detail
■ Tornado	28	—	3.1%	detail
■ Heat	25	—	1.9%
■ Fog	19	—	1.1%
■ Other	19	—	0.7%
■ Cold	18	—	1.0%
■ Drought	12	—	1.4%
■ Lightning	7	2	1.3%

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
30 Aug 2001	Lightning	Lightning	—	$1K	—	2	—	County
3 Jun 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	$250K	—	—	15	County
4 Jul 1999	Heat	Heat	—	—	—	—	9	Forecast zone
27 Sep 1993	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$500K	—	—	2	County
17 Sep 2004	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$250K	—	—	2	County
1 Jul 1999	Drought	Drought	—	—	$8.0M	—	—	Forecast zone
18 Sep 2003	High Wind	Wind	58 mph	$1.5M	$200K	—	—	Forecast zone
30 Aug 2005	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
19 Jan 1996	Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
23 Apr 1999	Hail	Hail	1.50 in	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
13 May 2000	Hail	Hail	2.50 in	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
17 Sep 2004	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$750K	—	—	—	County
16 Apr 1993	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$500K	—	—	—	County
8 Sep 2004	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$500K	—	—	—	County
17 Sep 2004	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$500K	—	—	—	County
22 Jun 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	86 mph	$500K	—	—	—	County
18 Oct 1990	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	County
14 Jan 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
22 Jun 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
3 Aug 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	75 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County

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
11 Mar 2022	DR-4644	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	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
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
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
27 Jan 1996	DR-1098	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding, High Winds, And Wind Driven Rain	Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1086	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
11 Apr 1994	DR-1021	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Ice Storm	Public assistance
25 Mar 1993	EM-3112	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm	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

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 Fauquier County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197833

Paid claims16

Total paid$175K

Average paid claim$11K

Repetitive-loss properties10 severe

Residential policies in force1380.4% of 33,210 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	0	$0	—
2025	2	1	$22,013	$22,013
2024	3	0	$0	—
2021	1	0	$0	—
2020	1	1	$13,109	$13,109
2019	2	1	$3,339	$3,339
2018	2	1	$47	$47
2017	1	1	$4,393	$4,393
2015	1	0	$0	—
2014	3	0	$0	—
2013	2	2	$21,429	$10,715
2008	1	1	$11,611	$11,611
2004	2	0	$0	—
1996	1	1	$9,531	$9,531
1994	1	1	$6,265	$6,265
1989	1	0	$0	—
1987	1	0	$0	—
1985	1	1	$18,278	$18,278
1984	1	1	$4,130	$4,130
1981	1	1	$50,000	$50,000
1979	3	2	$9,691	$4,846
1978	1	1	$1,535	$1,535

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 47.7 of 100

Expected annual loss$22MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery Low

Community resilienceRelatively High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$16,212,439
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,196,639
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$1,062,500
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$998,667
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$965,055
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$710,358
Hail	Relatively Low	$372,061
Tornado	Very Low	$247,755
Cold wave	Very Low	$156,080
Drought	Relatively Low	$149,390
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$90,698
Ice storm	Very Low	$34,381
Wildfire	Very Low	$27,909
Landslide	Very Low	$2,793
Avalanche	Very Low	$8

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 miles32

Tracks within 50 miles11

Hurricane strength within 50 miles2

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Isaias	2020	91 mi	69 mph
Zeta	2020	68 mi	52 mph
Sandy	2012	94 mi	58 mph
Hanna	2008	89 mi	52 mph
Ernesto	2006	61 mi	46 mph
Isabel	2003	59 mi	58 mph
Bertha	1996	98 mi	69 mph
David	1979	48 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1963	95 mi	46 mph
Connie	1955	70 mi	58 mph
Diane	1955	15 mi	52 mph
Able	1952	61 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	23 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1945	54 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1944	69 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1943	68 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	30 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1933	34 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1929	54 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1928	54 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	7 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	80 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1899	59 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1896	64 mi	69 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	31 mi	63 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

20187 10
20186 6

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 Fauquier County, VA?

NCEI records 87 hail events in Fauquier County since 1950, in 31 different years; that is about 1.1 recorded events a year. 17 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Fauquier County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 28 tornadoes in Fauquier County since 1950, 6 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Fauquier 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 Fauquier County, and how much was paid?

33 NFIP claims since 1978, 16 of them paid, for $175K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Fauquier 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 Fauquier County compare with the rest of Virginia?

150.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 146.4 statewide, and 0.4 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.