Salem city

Every recorded tornado

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

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. Feb 22, 2003Flood, Roanoke$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain over a long period of time caused small stream and urban flooding. A man who had been rescued once from the North Fork of the Roanoke River, returned to his truck with his father, and attempted to recover items from the truck. They remained trapped in the flood waters for several hours. The son died later that night in the hospital from hypothermia. Small stream and urban flooding was also reported across Botetourt, Pulaski, Patrick, Smyth, Rockbridge, Tazewell, Campbell, Franklin, Alleghany, Craig, Bland, Floyd, Amherst, and Roanoke counties. One man was killed when he tried to cross a low water bridge over Tinker Creek in Vinton. He was swept about 200 feet downstream…

2. May 26, 2024Tornado$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-1 tornado touched down near the intersection of Karen Drive and Joan Circle, where several tree trunks were snapped. Additional trees were snapped and uprooted as the tornado moved east-northeast, with loss of roofing material noted at several homes and apartment buildings just south of the Roanoke River. The tornado lifted just east of Electric Road near the intersection of Midland and Easton Roads. The estimated peak wind speeds were 100 to 105 mph. Damage was estimated to be 1.17 million dollars.

3. Feb 12, 2014Heavy Snow, Roanoke$550,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snowfall amounts ranged from 18 inches across the eastern part of the county to much of the Roanoke County and the City of Roanoke receiving between 20 and 23 inches of snow. The weight of the heavy snow caused the roof of a business in the City of Salem to collapse around 300pm on February 14th. The collapsing roof also damaging the supporting cinder block wall and three parked vehicles. Around 1000pm on Thursday another the roof of a gas station collapsed due to the weight of the snow on it.

4. Aug 1, 2012Hail$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Salem Fire Department observed quarter-sized hail on Electric Road, which is approximately four miles west-northwest of Roanoke. A car dealership in Salem reported $1,500 to $2,200 dollars damage to each of their 300 cars from the large hail.

5. Jun 19, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$350,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds damaged two large tents and destroyed another at the Salem Civic Center during a horse show. No people or animals were injured.

6. Oct 11, 2018Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Roanoke River through Salem flooded due to the heavy rainfall from Michael and the predecessor rainfall event. Several roads were closed and businesses affected by the flood waters. The Riverwalk Apartments along the Roanoke River in Salem were evacuated and 42 units received flood damage. The crest at the Salem Pump Station IFLOWS gage (SPSV2) was 14.6 feet very early on the 12th, just over the Moderate flood stage of 14 feet and well above Minor flood stage of 7 feet. It was the 3rd highest crest at this gage in the existing record back to 1972 and the highest since the November 1985 flood when the river reached 20.5 feet at this location.

7. Oct 11, 2018Flash Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extremely high sustained rain rates (2-4 inches per hour) became concentrated across parts of the Roanoke area between 1100 AM to 200 PM local time. At 243 PM a rare Flash Flood Emergency was issued for Roanoke City, City of Salem and Roanoke County after consultation with local Emergency management amidst reports of numerous water rescues in the area. Radar and rain gages showed 3 to 6 inches of rain during this period from the southern part of Roanoke City into the adjacent portions of Salem. At least 25 roads or intersections were closed at some point due to flooding in Salem. Mason Creek flooded several mobile home communities in Salem as shown on social media. More than 40…

8. Jun 26, 2013Lightning$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a house in the 500 block of Craig Avenue. The strike impacted the electrical system of the house and caused a fire that started in the basement. In addition to damage to the electrical system, the house sustained smoke damage. Firefighting efforts also caused water damage to the house. Damage values are estimated. The two residents in the structure at the time of the strike were able to leave without injury.

9. Jun 27, 2006Flash Flood$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   City of Salem roads were closed from high waters. Several roads in western Roanoke county were covered with water including Harborwood, Gladden, West River and West Riverside. Runoff from Poor and Fort Lewis Mountains flooded Wildwood Road.In Salem, a man was tugged under his motor home in the Salem Village Mobile Home Park by rapid floodwaters as he tried to dislodge its wheels from the mud. A Valley Metro employee saved the man by pulling him out of the moving water. An emergency shelter was setup at Andrew Lewis Middle school for evaculated residents of the Salem Village Mobile Park and the Salem's Ramey Trailer Park. The Roanoke Fire- EMS Department made a swiftwater rescue…

10. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorm winds blew trees down across the City of Salem. 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

105°FAug 21, 1983

All-time low

−11°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

79°FAug 9, 2007

Coldest day

11°F5 times, most recently Dec 22, 1989

Wettest day

6.61 inNov 4, 1985

Snowiest day

15.4 inFeb 13, 1960

Hottest year

2024mean 60.5°F

Coldest year

1966mean 54.6°F

Wettest year

202062.65 in

Driest year

200124.94 in

Snowiest season

62.7 in1959-60

Station Roanoke-blacksburg Regional Airport (USW00013741), 1,138 ft elevation, 5.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 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 USW00013741.
• 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.