Prince Edward County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Prince Edward 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. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$140,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and power lines were downed. Structural damage also occurred.

2. May 5, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   RADIO TOWER OF STATION WFLO BLOWN DOWN.

3. Feb 13, 2021Ice Storm, Prince Edward$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Freezing rain or freezing drizzle resulted in significant ice accretion between 0.25 inch and 0.40 inch across the county. Numerous trees and power lines were downed, with widespread power outages reported due to the ice accretion.

4. Jun 6, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive, yet localized, damage was reported in Rice with multiple trees snapped and blown over. At least ten large trees were reported to have been snapped or blown over including a 30 foot tall red oak which was snapped above the trunk. Additionally, the fallen trees crushed three vehicles and a tractor as well as caused damage to a roof. The damaging winds were reported to have been very brief, lasting less than a minute.

5. Feb 18, 2021Winter Storm, Prince Edward$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Ice accretions between 0.20 inch and 0.30 inch were reported. Several trees and power lines were downed, with numerous power outages reported.

6. Feb 11, 2025Winter Storm, Prince Edward$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snowfall totals generally ranged from 3 to 4 inches across Prince Edward County. A snowfall total of 4 inches was reported 1 mile (NNE) from Farmville. Snow changed over to a wintry mix with a period of sleet and a prolonged period of freezing rain occurring. Total ice accretion from freezing rain ranged from 0.25 to 0.5 inches. An ice accretion of 0.5 inches was reported in Farmville. Additionally, widespread power outages were reported across the county (due mainly to the freezing rain) with more than 70 percent of the county without power during the peak of the event. Three days later, more than 10 percent of the county was still without power.

7. Jan 30, 2000Ice Storm, Prince Edward$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An ice storm affected a large portion of central and eastern Virginia with ice accumulations of up to one-half inch. Freezing rain mixed with sleet and snow spread over the area during the morning hours. Freezing rain then mixed with rain during the afternoon and evening along the eastern counties of Prince George, Charles City, New Kent, King William, King and Queen, Essex, Richmond, and Westmoreland. Farther west, freezing rain fell for most of the day with general accumulations from one-fourth to one-half inch. At one point, 300,000 people were without power in the Richmond vicinity due to the weight of ice downing trees and power lines. One Richmond TV station was knocked off…

8. Jun 13, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Large tree was split in two, and a roof was blown off an airplane hangar which destroyed an Air Conditioner Unit.

9. Aug 15, 2016Lightning$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning strike caused a structural fire at Longwood Landings Student Resident Complex at Longwood University.

10. May 11, 2015Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Numerous large pine trees were damaged. One tree was uprooted while the tops were broken off several other trees. One tree fell on a house and caused damage to the roof. Another tree fell on a metal carport.

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 Aug 21, 1983

All-time low

−20°FJan 20, 1994

Warmest night

79°FJul 23, 1991

Coldest day

8°FJan 11, 1982

Wettest day

8.35 inSep 8, 1987

Snowiest day

18.0 inJan 7, 1996

Hottest year

2024mean 59.0°F

Coldest year

1962mean 52.7°F

Wettest year

202079.99 in

Driest year

196325.01 in

Snowiest season

43.4 in1986-87

Station Appomattox (USC00440243), 850 ft elevation, 22.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1961 to May 23, 2026; 89.3% 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 USC00440243.
• 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.