Campbell County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Campbell County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 15, 2018Tornado$6.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is the first segment of a tornado that touched down just south of Waterlink Road near Timberlake in Campbell County at 6:00 PM EST. The tornado uprooted trees, damaged multiple roofs from homes, damaged several businesses, and flipped several cars. A total of 28 buildings suffered damage, and five of those buildings were completely destroyed. The tornado crossed Timberlake Road and exited Campbell County at 6:03 PM EST. It would continue into the western portion of the independent city of Lynchburg and further northward into Amherst County.

2. Apr 28, 2002Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The second tornado continued in Campbell County for about 5 miles before lifting about 5.5 miles west-northwest of Rustburg in Campbell County. This tornado injured 11 people, destroyed 15 homes, three businesses, and a church. The tornado damaged over 200 other homes, six businesses, two churches, 20 recreational vehicles, and several automobiles. Numerous trees were toppled, Some of the trees landed on homes, and two landed on vehicles.

3. Sep 6, 1996Flash Flood$1.3 million
4. Oct 11, 2018Flash Flood$366,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Campbell County was included in a Presidential Major Disaster declaration due mainly to the severe flooding associated with Tropical Storm Michael. There were several reports of flash flooding on the afternoon of the 11th with roads closed and verified flood damages exceeded $300 thousand.

5. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds blew down hundreds of trees. The greatest concentration was over the northern half of the county. Damage values are estimated.

6. Sep 6, 1996High Wind, Campbell$200,000
7. Apr 28, 2002Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of the 28th produced two tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail up to golfball size.A tornado formed in Bedford City and traveled east one half mile before dissipating. The storm then produced sporatic wind damage for about the next 7.5 miles or from .5 east-southeast of Bedford City to 8 east-southeast of Bedford City, causing mainly damage to trees and power lines. A second tornado developed 8 miles east-southeast of Bedford City in Bedford County and remained on the ground for 10 miles before lifting about 5.5 miles west-northwest of Rustburg in Campbell County. Sporatic wind damage then occurred from 5.5 west-northwest of Rustburg to…

8. Jun 13, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms produced damaging winds along a squall line that moved through the City of Lynchburg and Campbell County. Numerous trees and tree limbs were blown down throughout this region along with some power lines. Specific examples include numerous trees down in Timberlake, numerous trees and power lines down in and around the City of Lynchbrug, numerous oak trees blown down in Altavista, some trees down and trees uprooted near Concord.

9. Mar 2, 2018High Wind, Campbell$160,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Winds downed numerous trees and power lines within the county and also the City of Lynchburg. Several roads were blocked, including one by a downed power line near the Bedford County line along Route 24. A mobile home sustained moderate damage when a tree fell on the structure. Power outages peaked at 21,000 customers in the Lynchburg region. Damage values are estimated.

10. Jul 31, 2000Lightning$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of the 31st produced flash flooding and damaging lightning.Heavy thunderstorm rains during the late afternoon of the 31st flooded and closed part of Route 58, five miles southeast of South Boston.Lightning struck a house in Irisburg and in Leesville starting fires that destroyed both houses.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

103°F2 times, most recently Jun 29, 2012

All-time low

−11°FFeb 20, 2015

Warmest night

77°F4 times, most recently Jun 23, 1996

Coldest day

11°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

6.05 inSep 6, 1996

Snowiest day

14.3 inJan 7, 1996

Hottest year

2020mean 59.4°F

Coldest year

1997mean 54.0°F

Wettest year

202069.73 in

Driest year

196326.56 in

Snowiest season

56.8 in1995-96

Station Lynchburg Regional Airport (USW00013733), 902 ft elevation, 4.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1944 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00013733.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.