Harrisonburg Metro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Harrisonburg Area is about the same as Virginia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Harrisonburg Area is lower than Virginia average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #354
| Harrisonburg Area | 0.10 |
| Virginia | 0.20 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #129
| Harrisonburg Area | 0.0000 |
| Virginia | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #706
| Harrisonburg Area | 48.56 |
| Virginia | 88.66 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 11,068 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Harrisonburg Area were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 2 | Cold: | 65 | Dense Fog: | 34 | Drought: | 52 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,834 | Hail: | 2,203 | Heat: | 45 | Heavy Snow: | 172 |
| High Surf: | 1 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 35 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 188 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 5,259 | Tropical Storm: | 6 | Wildfire: | 28 | Winter Storm: | 147 | Winter Weather: | 122 |
| Other: | 875 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Harrisonburg Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Harrisonburg Area.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Harrisonburg Area.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 16 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Harrisonburg Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 12.6 | 1952-04-05 | 2 | 38°22'N / 78°44'W | 38°25'N / 78°40'W | 4.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rockingham |
| 14.4 | 1960-08-06 | 2 | 38°28'N / 78°37'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rockingham | |||
| 18.0 | 2002-04-28 | 2 | 38°41'N / 78°40'W | 38°41'N / 78°35'W | 4.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.6M | 0 | Shenandoah |
| Brief Description: A tornado injured 2 people, destroyed 4 homes, damaged 56 additional homes and 36 agricultural structures, downed numerous trees, and blew over a tractor-trailer on Interstate 81. A long-lived supercell thunderstorm formed over northwest Rockingham County during the afternoon of the 28th. This severe storm moved east at 45 MPH, damaging property all of the way to the Potomac River. This same storm later produced a devastating F4 tornado in La Plata, MD. While the storm moved through North Central Virginia, it produced an F2 tornado in Shenandoah County, a significant funnel cloud in Fauquier County, large hail, heavy downpours, and scattered wind damage. In Shenandoah County, an F2 tornado touched down just east of Quicksburg near the intersection of Quicksburg Road and Old Bridge Road. The tornado stayed on the ground for 4 miles before it dissipated while moving up the west side of Massanutten Mountain. The twister was estimated to be about 75 yards wide and it caused a total of $1.6 million in damage. Along the path of the tornado, three residential structures were destroyed, 12 structures were heavily damaged, and 15 had minor damage. Four poultry houses and 15 barns were destroyed. Five poultry houses, two silos, and a mile of fencing was also damaged. On Old Bridge Road, a silo and three barns were damaged. Airborne roof debris and high winds hit a tractor-trailer on I-81 and caused it to flip onto its side. The driver of the tractor-trailer was treated for minor injuries. The tornado moved across I-81 and Route 11 into the Kay Hill subdivision. Homes were damaged and trees were downed on Lower and Upper Forge Road. A mobile home on Mantz Drive was destroyed. The tornado moved east across Smith Creek to Smith Creek Road and Franwood Lane where it caused significant damage. A two-story home just off Smith Creek Road was severely damaged by debris from a neighbor's 60-foot-high grain silo. A woman inside the structure was treated for bruises. On Franwood Lane, two turkey houses were destroyed and four were severely damaged. One dog that lived on the property was killed and another was injured. A cat was never found. A shed was damaged and work equipment was scattered across the property. At Franwood Farms Airport, 5 people took shelter from the storm in a hangar. A person in the hangar said the walls kept coming closer together as the tornado approached and eventually the roof blew off the building. The tornado also flipped a plane on the landing strip. The tornado's path was visible up to two miles east of Franwood Farms through a path of damaged trees in the forest. The path of tree damage ended as the topography sloped up Massanutten Mountain into George Washington National Forest. In addition, an orchard west of Mt. Jackson just north of the tornado's path, sustained hail damage. In Rockingham County, dime sized hail fell in Bergton for ten minutes. In Page County, golf ball sized hail fell in Rileyville. Power lines were downed in Stanley. In Culpeper County, a tree was downed onto Route 522 near Route 633 in Norman. In Fauquier County, a funnel cloud was photographed by a meteorologist on a hill near Fauquier Springs. The time series of photos shows the funnel never reaching the ground. High winds downed a large tree and utility poles onto Harts Mill and Spriggs roads about 5 miles west of Warrenton. In New Baltimore, dime sized hail was reported. In Prince William County, quarter sized hail fell in Woodbridge and Manassas. Golf ball sized hail caused property damage in Dale City. A total of 2.20 inches of rain fell in Canova as the storm passed through. | |||||||||||
| 20.5 | 1952-04-05 | 2 | 38°13'N / 78°50'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Augusta | |
| 25.4 | 2004-09-17 | 2 | 38°21'N / 78°24'W | 38°28'N / 78°27'W | 8.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Madison |
| Brief Description: A thunderstorm that moved into Madison County from Greene County produced tornado damage near Hood. A number of homes were damaged. One aluminum garage was destroyed and a rock chimney was topped off. The tornado remained on the ground for several miles and tracked northward into the higher terrain of western Madison County. Several large areas of mature mixed forest were almost completely leveled in the Rapidan Wildlife Management Area and the Shenandoah National Park. | |||||||||||
| 28.1 | 1959-09-30 | 3 | 38°18'N / 78°26'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 9 | 25K | 0 | Greene | |
| 29.3 | 2004-09-17 | 2 | 38°17'N / 78°26'W | 38°15'N / 78°26'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3.0M | 0 | Greene |
| Brief Description: A tornadic thunderstorm touched down near Standardsville. A roof was torn off a building just south of U.S. Highway 33. The roof was also torn off a house just north of U.S. Highway 33. The most extensive damage occurred around Highway 621. Four dwellings and a mobile home were destroyed. Approximately 50 other structures were damaged, including a nearby country club and a concrete block building. A trailer filled with cattle gates was also destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 32.9 | 1985-07-25 | 3 | 38°12'N / 78°25'W | 38°12'N / 78°25'W | 0.10 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Albemarle |
| 32.9 | 1985-07-25 | 3 | 38°12'N / 78°25'W | 38°12'N / 78°25'W | 0.10 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Greene |
| 33.9 | 1963-11-29 | 2 | 38°02'N / 79°01'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Augusta | |||
| 34.8 | 1959-09-30 | 3 | 38°03'N / 78°37'W | 0.80 Mile | 200 Yards | 11 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Albemarle | |
| 35.2 | 1976-06-12 | 2 | 38°20'N / 78°16'W | 0.20 Mile | 3 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Madison | |
| 37.7 | 1990-05-04 | 2 | 38°06'N / 79°20'W | 7.00 Miles | 27 Yards | 2 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Augusta | |
| 45.7 | 1965-08-17 | 2 | 38°15'N / 78°06'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Orange | |||
| 48.5 | 1978-06-19 | 2 | 38°40'N / 78°00'W | 0.20 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rappahannock | |
| 49.5 | 1980-07-09 | 2 | 38°48'N / 79°43'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Randolph | |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.