Fauquier County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Fauquier 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. Sep 18, 2003High Wind, Fauquier$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   By 9 pm on September 18, a rain band associated with Isabel had set up over the Shenandoah Valley and showers were training southward into the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east side of Augusta County. The rain gauge located at Upper Sherando had recorded over 6 inches of rain and more was to come. County officials quickly began evacuations of homes downstream. In all 350 people in the South River area would be evacuated and 21 of those ended up being by boat. Water flowed down the Black Creek at 60 mph washing out the bridge and several hundred feet of asphalt along Route 608. Four spillways to dams flooded causing damage but none of them failed. There was $125,000 damage to the…

2. Aug 30, 2005Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service meteorologist surveyed wind damage near Ada in Fauquier County, Virginia. A tornado touched down approximately 1.5 miles south of Ada in northern Fauquier County. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 5 miles. The tornado lifted 2 miles west of Marshall. The tornado downed and uprooted many trees along this path. Some stands of healthy trees were snapped off several feet above the base. Outbuildings were destroyed in a few locations. Approximately 15 structures were damaged due to the tornado, but much of this damage was due to falling trees. Direct wind damage to homes was limited to roof and siding damage. Despite the number of structures…

3. May 13, 2000Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tennis ball sized hail fell and damaged hundreds of cars.

4. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Fauquier$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   ***River Flooding***High dewpoint temperatures melted most of the snow on the ground within 12 hours. The snow pack had a liquid equivalent between 2 to 3 inches. Snowmelt, combined with 1 to 3 inches of rain (some locations received nearly 5 inches), caused the worst regional flooding in over 10 years. River flooding began during the flood/flash flood event along the headwaters of all basins and continued downstream through the 22nd. Crests ranged from 3 to 21 feet above flood stage.High water caused millions of dollars in damage, closed roads, destroyed homes and businesses, and forced the evacuation of several towns. Four people were rescued by the National Park Service and…

5. Apr 23, 1999Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A line of thunderstorms developed in West Virginia during the early afternoon and moved rapidly southeast across Northern Virginia. These storms produced very large hail in a 10 mile wide strip from Winchester in Frederick County to Woodbridge in Prince William County from 3:30 PM EDT to 5:00 PM EDT. Winds over 55 MPH also downed trees and power lines in Frederick and Clarke County between 3:30 PM EDT and 4:15 PM EDT. Frederick County spotters reported between 1 3/4 to 3 1/2 inch diameter hail. The rubber membrane roof of the War Memorial Building in Winchester was punctured by hail the size of golf balls, allowing heavy rain to fall inside the structure and cause significant…

6. Sep 17, 2004Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An F2 tornado produced widespread structural damage to two subdivisions in northern Fauquier County.Some small items were turned into projectiles by this tornado and landed in trees and the sides of homes and some vehicles. There was substantial tree damage. Numerous large, healthy trees wereuprooted and snapped. This is the third tornado of this event in Fauquier.

7. Jun 22, 2022Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A destructive thunderstorm blew down thousands of trees, tree limbs, wires, and poles across northern and west-central Fauquier County, with peak wind gusts estimated to be between 80 and 90 MPH. This storm affected the Delaplane, Marshall, and Ashville areas between 4:20 and 4:30 PM. Numerous large trees blew down onto power lines and poles along VA-731 Cobbler Mountain Road between Delaplane and Ashville. Dozens of large trees and tree limbs blew down onto I-66 near Marshall. Numerous trees blew down blocking US-17 Winchester Road near Old Tavern.

8. Sep 8, 2004Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down 2 miles south of Bealeton and lifted a half mile south of Bealeton. The storm was 200 yards wide. The initial touchdown was near Morgansburg Road. The storm tracked north for 1.5 miles and produced significant damage to at least 2 homes. A roof was peeled off one home and some of the outside walls showed signs of bowing. At another dwelling, a garage door was blown into the garage and out of the sidewall. Several projectiles were lodged in the south side of the house. Three large green houses and some portable outhouses were also damaged. Two Ryder trucks were overturned. One truck fell on a small pickup, which sustained considerable damage. Maximum wind…

9. Sep 17, 2004Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An F2 tornado touched down near Opal and tracked north. The tornado produced severe tree damageand some structural damage to several dwellings before dissipating near Warrenton. This is the second tornado of three tornadoes in Fauquier County associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.

10. Sep 17, 2004Tornado$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A strong tornado touched down in southern Fauquier County, near Remington. A home was pushed off its foundation. A new pickup truck was lifted and hurled 75 yards over trees and power lines. It crashedupside down in a field.

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

105°FJul 22, 2011

All-time low

−18°FJan 22, 1984

Warmest night

81°FJul 16, 2026

Coldest day

6°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

10.67 inJun 21, 1972

Snowiest day

22.5 inFeb 11, 1983

Hottest year

2024mean 58.9°F

Coldest year

1976mean 51.9°F

Wettest year

201866.74 in

Driest year

200727.02 in

Snowiest season

73.2 in2009-10

Station Washington Dulles International Airport (USW00093738), 294 ft elevation, 24.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1960 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00093738.
• 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.