Virginia, 1997
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1997 was 698 against 1,738 in 1996.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1997 | Henry | Lightning | — | — | 1 | — |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Forecast zone | High Wind | — | — | 1 | — |
| 16 Aug 1997 | Arlington | Heat | — | — | — | 18 |
| 16 Aug 1997 | Forecast zone | Heat | — | — | — | 16 |
| 16 Aug 1997 | Prince William | Heat | — | — | — | 8 |
| 16 Aug 1997 | Loudoun | Heat | — | — | — | 8 |
| 4 Jul 1997 | Tazewell | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $770,000 | — | 5 |
| 17 Aug 1997 | Loudoun | Lightning | — | — | — | 3 |
| 1 May 1997 | Norfolk city | Hail | 1.75 in | $10,000,000 | — | 2 |
| 28 Jul 1997 | Arlington | Lightning | — | — | — | 2 |
| 28 Jul 1997 | Frederick | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $100,000 | — | 1 |
| 31 Mar 1997 | Arlington | Strong Wind | — | $100,000 | — | 1 |
| 13 Jun 1997 | Fairfax | Lightning | — | $40,000 | — | 1 |
| 25 Jul 1997 | Campbell | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 2 Jun 1997 | Franklin | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 |
| 1 May 1997 | Virginia Beach city | Hail | 1.75 in | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 1997 | Hampton city | Hail | 2.75 in | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 1997 | Newport News city | Hail | 1.75 in | $1,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Jul 1997 | Wythe | Hail | 1.75 in | $500,000 | — | — |
| 24 Jul 1997 | Norfolk city | Tornado | F1 | $400,000 | — | — |
| 24 Jul 1997 | Chesapeake city | Tornado | F1 | $400,000 | — | — |
| 4 Jul 1997 | Wythe | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $300,000 | — | — |
| 17 Aug 1997 | Fairfax | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $300,000 | — | — |
| 26 Jun 1997 | Frederick | Thunderstorm Wind | 86 mph | $250,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jul 1997 | Dickenson | Flash Flood | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 25 Jun 1997 | Franklin | Lightning | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jun 1997 | Rockbridge | Flash Flood | — | $200,000 | — | — |
| 31 Mar 1997 | Forecast zone | Strong Wind | — | $200,000 | — | — |
| 10 Sep 1997 | Northumberland | Tornado | F1 | $150,000 | — | — |
| 24 Jul 1997 | Norfolk city | Tornado | F0 | $100,000 | — | — |
| 25 May 1997 | Arlington | Tornado | F0 | $100,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 1997 | Prince George | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $100,000 | — | — |
| 17 Aug 1997 | Prince William | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $75,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1997 | Frederick | Lightning | — | $60,000 | — | — |
| 21 Jul 1997 | Rockingham | Lightning | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 20 Jun 1997 | Bland | Flash Flood | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 31 Mar 1997 | Prince William | Strong Wind | — | $50,000 | — | — |
| 10 Sep 1997 | Madison | Tornado | F1 | $15,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1997 | Frederick | Tornado | F0 | $4,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1997 | Loudoun | Tornado | F0 | $2,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1997
No declaration touching Virginia was made in 1997.
Flood insurance claims with a 1997 date of loss
89 NFIP claims, 43 of them paid, for $427,653.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.