Lancaster County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lancaster 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.

High tide flooding

1. High tide flooding days are days on which a NOAA tide gauge recorded water at or above NOAA's minor flood threshold, set from the gauge's tide range, counted by meteorological year (May to April). These are the counts in NOAA's annual high tide flooding reports; they are not National Weather Service flood stages. Years with less than 80 percent of data are left out.

NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, through April 2026, 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.

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.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 4, 2020Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the NWS Wakefield office found a path of storm damage consistent with an EF2 tornado. The tornado touched down near Windmill Point Lane then rapidly intensified as it crossed over Antipoison Creek. Numerous houses in the Antipoison Neck area along Tammy Drive, Clark Point Drive, Deep Water Drive, Wayne Circle, Chesapeake Trail, and others experienced significant roof loss and structural damage consistent with EF2 intensity. One house had the upper portions shifted off the main structure. Similar roof and structural damage continued as the tornado moved north into areas near Ocran Road, Squires Road and Bald Eagle Road in the Poplar Neck area. This is…

2. Jul 12, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several large trees and power lines were downed. Several trees fell through houses.

3. Jul 12, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous large trees and power lines were downed. Trees were downed on several houses. Tomato cannery collapsed.

4. Oct 2, 2015Coastal Flood, Lancaster$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tidal departure of 2 to 3 feet resulted in moderate flooding along the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay. Several roads were closed, and a number of homes and other buildings sustained flood related damage.

5. Jul 12, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several trees were downed across roads and on houses.

6. Sep 15, 1999Hurricane (Typhoon), Lancaster$560,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Floyd was a Category 1 hurricane as it crossed the Wakefield WFO county warning area. Sustained tropical storm force winds with gusts to near hurricane force occurred over the northwest quadrant of the storm over interior portions of northeast North Carolina and along the coastal waters of the Wakefield marine area. The center of the storm crossed the county warning area along an Elizabeth City to Currituck county to Sandbridge Virginia Beach axis. The highest sustained wind speed recorded was 69 mph at Chesapeake Light (CHLV2). Other sustained wind speeds were 46 mph at Langley Air Force Base (LFI), 44 mph at Norfolk Naval Air Station (NGU), and 41 mph at Oceana Naval…

7. Nov 12, 2009Coastal Flood, Lancaster$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The peak tide height at Windmill Point was 4.62 feet above MLLW, which was 3.05 feet above the astronomical tide. Many streets, homes and businesses were flooded in low lying areas of the county close or directly exposed to the Chesapeake Bay. The Tides Inn reported damage to the electric services at their commercial docking facilities.

8. Feb 24, 2016Tornado$377,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado that began as an EF0 in Middlesex county, intensified briefly to an EF1 in the Norwood Church Road area near Flagstaff Road in Lancaster county. In this area, a brick wall on a garage was flattened, the roof was ripped off a house, and an outbuilding was destroyed. Numerous large trees were snapped including two foot diameter pine trees. The tornado continued north and northeast for a short distance before lifting.

9. Oct 28, 2012Coastal Flood, Lancaster$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Water levels reached 2.0 feet to 3.5 feet above normal adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay and Rappahannock River resulting in moderate to severe coastal flooding. Windmill Point reached a tide height of 4.38 feet MLLW.

10. Sep 1, 2006High Wind, Lancaster$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The remnants of Ernesto along the Mid Atlantic coast combined with strong high pressure over New England produced very strong winds across eastern and southeast Virginia. Sustained winds in mph ranged from the lower 40s to near 60 with maximum gusts ranging from the mid 50s to as high as the mid 70s. Some higher sustained winds included 60 mph (52 knots) at York River Range Light and York River United States Coast Guard, and 56 mph (49 knots) at Wallops Island (WAL). Some higher maximum gusts included 76 mph (66 knots) at York River Range Light, and 75 mph (65 knots) at York River USCG. The high winds caused numerous downed trees and power outages, along with significant…

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

106°F2 times, most recently Jul 25, 2010

All-time low

−7°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

79°F7 times, most recently Jul 6, 2024

Coldest day

14°FJan 9, 1970

Wettest day

10.75 inSep 16, 1999

Snowiest day

12.5 inJan 25, 2000

Hottest year

1990mean 61.1°F

Coldest year

1966mean 56.6°F

Wettest year

200367.57 in

Driest year

196527.65 in

Snowiest season

34.1 in1979-80

Station W Point 2 Nw (USC00449025), 20 ft elevation, 22.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1954 to October 22, 2026; 99.8% 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 USC00449025.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Tide gauges NOAA CO-OPS high tide flooding counts, 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.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• 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.