Covington city

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.

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.

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. Jun 23, 2016Flash Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Urban flooding was first reported from the City of Covington around 145 PM EDT (1245 EST) as two flood-prone underpasses were flooded. More serious flooding began around 230 PM EDT (130 PM EST) with numerous roads closed and eventually homes flooded. There was one boat rescue in Covington of a family trapped in a home with rising water. The rapidly rising Jackson River caused much of the flood damage in the city with up to 60 homes seriously damaged. A concrete plant lost $1.2 million in equipment and VDOT estimated $50 thousand in road damages within the city. There were also at least three landslides reported in the city.

2. Apr 7, 2012Wildfire, Alleghany$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This fire was known as the Barbours Creek Fire, affecting Craig and Alleghany counties. The fire affected the Jefferson National Forest and Barbours Creek Wilderness area. The cause of the fire was believed to have been human. The fire burned for eleven days and burned 7,402 acres, of which 7236 was federal land and 166 was private land. No structures were burned. Suppression costs were $1.668 million and rehabilitation costs were $86,693.

3. Apr 7, 2012Wildfire, Alleghany$870,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This fire, known as the Alleghany Tunnels Fire, affected just Alleghany county. The fire was believed to have been caused by a railroad crew sanding the tracks within the George Washington National Forest. This fire burned over 11,000 acres of land, mostly owned by the United States Forest Service. Costs to contain the fire were nearly $1 million and rehabilitation treatment costs were nearly $30,000. There were no structures lost and no injuries or deaths from this wildfire.

4. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees and some power lines. A church roof was severely damaged, and a portion of the roof at the high school and at a hotel were peeled off by the winds. Several vehicles were damaged when trees blew onto them, and some homes were damaged by falling trees. Damage values are estimated.

5. Apr 2, 2016High Wind, Alleghany$65,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the county. Damage values are estimated.

6. Feb 5, 2010Winter Storm, Alleghany$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Moderate to heavy snow moved into the county during the early morning hours on the 5th. The snow turned to a mixture of rain, freezing rain, and sleet during the afternoon, before ending as snow late at night into the day on the 6th. Snowfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches were reported across the county. Roadways became slick, with many reports of vehicles sliding off roads across the state. The weight of the snow collapsed a barn causing over 50000 dollars in damage to the barn and equipment.

7. Feb 24, 2019High Wind, Alleghany$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong cold front passed over western and southwestern Virginia. In its wake, high winds intensified in the overnight hours particularly along and west of the Blue Ridge. Impacts were amplified by waterlogged soil, allowing trees to be uprooted or displaced more easily. At the peak of the event, approximately 40,000 homes in Virginia were without power.

8. Oct 31, 2019High Wind, Alleghany$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds blew down eight trees and numerous power lines across the county.

9. Jun 16, 2022Lightning$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A lightning strike caused considerable damage to a vehicle and a nearby building, in addition to creating a small crater in the pavement at the site of impact.

10. Apr 2, 2016High Wind, Alleghany$25,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous trees and some power lines were blown down. These were concentrated around the City of Covington. Damage values are estimated.

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

102°F3 times, most recently Aug 1, 1999

All-time low

−19°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

75°FAug 6, 2011

Coldest day

7°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

8.00 inNov 4, 1985

Snowiest day

17.0 inDec 19, 2009

Hottest year

1990mean 58.6°F

Coldest year

2014mean 52.7°F

Wettest year

201854.74 in

Driest year

196324.23 in

Snowiest season

40.0 in2009-10

Station Covington Fltr Plt (USC00442044), 1,244 ft elevation, 2.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1960 to October 23, 2026; 97.9% 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 USC00442044.
• 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.