Lancaster County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Lancaster County is about the same as Virginia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Lancaster County is lower than Virginia average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #106
| Lancaster County | 0.03 |
| 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, #1
| Lancaster County | 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, #66
| Lancaster County | 74.20 |
| 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 7,924 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Lancaster County 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: | 4 | Cold: | 41 | Dense Fog: | 29 | Drought: | 39 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 717 | Hail: | 1,431 | Heat: | 38 | Heavy Snow: | 76 |
| High Surf: | 3 | Hurricane: | 18 | Ice Storm: | 19 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 167 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,036 | Tropical Storm: | 16 | Wildfire: | 4 | Winter Storm: | 174 | Winter Weather: | 149 |
| Other: | 963 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Lancaster County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Lancaster County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Lancaster County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 14 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Lancaster County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 14.3 | 1989-05-02 | 2 | 37°53'N / 76°24'W | 37°56'N / 76°20'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Northumberland |
| 14.8 | 1981-05-11 | 2 | 37°41'N / 76°41'W | 0.20 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Middlesex | |
| 15.0 | 1975-04-25 | 2 | 37°50'N / 76°38'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Richmond | |||
| 25.8 | 1966-11-02 | 3 | 37°58'N / 76°45'W | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Richmond | |||
| 26.5 | 1983-08-31 | 2 | 37°58'N / 76°46'W | 0.20 Mile | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Richmond | |
| 36.2 | 1973-10-02 | 2 | 37°42'N / 75°45'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Accomack | |||
| 36.4 | 1990-10-18 | 3 | 37°37'N / 77°06'W | 37°40'N / 77°03'W | 5.00 Miles | 430 Yards | 1 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | King William |
| 38.6 | 1984-05-08 | 2 | 37°20'N / 77°04'W | 37°22'N / 76°51'W | 15.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Charlotte |
| 39.1 | 1986-10-14 | 3 | 37°18'N / 76°57'W | 37°19'N / 76°54'W | 5.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Charlotte |
| 39.2 | 1969-06-21 | 2 | 37°17'N / 75°56'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Northampton | |||
| 47.6 | 1979-09-05 | 2 | 37°01'N / 76°21'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 9 | 250K | 0 | Hampton (c) | |
| 47.6 | 1999-09-04 | 2 | 37°01'N / 76°21'W | 37°01'N / 76°21'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 6 | 7.7M | 0 | Hampton (c) |
| Brief Description: Tornado touchdown in the city of Hampton. Extensive structural damage in a 3 block area. Numerous minor injuries, with 6 people transported to the hospital. Three apartment complexes and an assisted living facility condemned. Two additional apartment complexes partially condemned. There were 300 persons from apartment complexes forced to evacuate while 160 persons from the assisted living facility were forced to evacuate. Many roofs were lifted off buildings and as much as 800 vehicles were reported damaged. One 18 wheel tractor trailer was overturned. There was not a continuous damage swath, but areas where the tornado did not completely touch the ground. In some areas the tops of trees were sheared off. This tornado formed in the area ahead of the landfalling tropical storm/hurricane Dennis. There were 6600 persons without power. | |||||||||||
| 48.1 | 1983-10-13 | 2 | 38°22'N / 76°34'W | 38°25'N / 76°33'W | 3.00 Miles | 37 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | St. Mary's |
| 49.7 | 1979-09-05 | 3 | 36°59'N / 76°25'W | 2.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Newport News (c) | |
* 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.