Radford County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Radford County is higher than Virginia average and is lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Radford County is lower than Virginia average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #19
| Radford County | 0.42 |
| 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
| Radford 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, #110
| Radford County | 26.29 |
| 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 11,865 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Radford 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: | 3 | Cold: | 91 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 97 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,748 | Hail: | 3,313 | Heat: | 39 | Heavy Snow: | 345 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 12 | Ice Storm: | 58 | Landslide: | 2 | Strong Wind: | 237 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 5,188 | Tropical Storm: | 7 | Wildfire: | 24 | Winter Storm: | 105 | Winter Weather: | 154 |
| Other: | 440 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Radford County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 3 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Radford County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 31.1 | 1969-11-20 | 4.3 | N/A | 37.4 | -81 |
| 8.9 | 1968-03-08 | 3.9 | N/A | 37 | -80.5 |
| 19.5 | 1974-05-30 | 3.6 | 8 | 37.38 | -80.42 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 14 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Radford County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 26.7 | 1977-08-21 | 2 | 36°44'N / 80°32'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Carroll | |
| 29.9 | 1965-04-08 | 2 | 37°30'N / 80°49'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Summers | |
| 31.1 | 1953-05-17 | 2 | 37°12'N / 80°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Roanoke | |
| 31.4 | 1976-07-11 | 2 | 37°36'N / 80°34'W | 37°33'N / 80°31'W | 4.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 34.5 | 1974-04-04 | 2 | 37°18'N / 80°02'W | 37°19'N / 79°55'W | 6.50 Miles | 177 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Roanoke |
| 35.6 | 1965-04-12 | 2 | 37°24'N / 81°06'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mercer | |||
| 37.4 | 1990-06-22 | 2 | 37°38'N / 80°28'W | 37°41'N / 80°30'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 39.6 | 1990-06-22 | 2 | 37°41'N / 80°30'W | 37°42'N / 80°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Greenbrier |
| 41.8 | 2004-09-17 | 2 | 36°43'N / 79°57'W | 36°49'N / 79°56'W | 7.10 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 4 | 53.8M | 0 | Henry |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down near Fieldale at 1104 EST. The F1 tornado crossed U.S. Highway 220 turning over 2 tractor-trailer trucks and 2 passenger vehicles. All 4 drivers suffered minor injuries. The tornado damage patch widened to a quarter mile, and strengthened to F2 as it approached and struck a factory. At this location, around 40 vehicles were severely damaged or destroyed. The factory experienced significant damage. The tornado then proceeded north and entered a residential subdivision, but only minor roof and tree damage occurred here. The tornado path became intermittent as it continued north and the damage was limited to trees. The tornado crossed into Franklin County at 1114 EST. | |||||||||||
| 44.2 | 2004-09-17 | 2 | 37°15'N / 79°47'W | 37°17'N / 79°46'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bedford |
| Brief Description: At 1212 EST, an F0 tornado touched down near Dickerson Road, and the width was less than 50 yards. The tornado damage path widened and varied from 100 yards to as much as 300 yards, as it did moderate to strong F1 damage to trees. A few homes suffered only minor damage to shingles and roofs, mainly due to trees falling on them. As the F1 tornado crossed Highway 24 at 1215 EST, it continued to damage trees, and was about 75 yards wide. A poorly constructed building was demolished. As the tornado moved north, it continued to down trees. Also, a car was pivoted in a driveway but undamaged. Minor structural and roof damage to homes occurred, as the tornado increased to a weak F2. The tornado weakened to F0 by 1217 EST, downing more trees along County Road 619. | |||||||||||
| 44.5 | 1996-06-09 | 2 | 37°10'N / 79°45'W | 37°10'N / 79°45'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Franklin |
| 46.1 | 1975-04-24 | 2 | 37°47'N / 80°28'W | 6.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Greenbrier | |
| 46.6 | 2009-05-08 | 2 | 36°33'N / 81°02'W | 36°32'N / 80°57'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 6 | 200K | 0K | Alleghany |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A low end EF-2 tornado touched down on Osee Road and was intermittently on the ground approximately 5 miles moving east-southeast, finally lifting between Old Barrett Road and Glade Valley Road. A single wide mobile home was destroyed on Osee Road, causing four injuries. Along the track, cement silos were collapsed, 5 other homes were damaged, and several other structures were heavily damaged. Two people received minor injuries when struck by debris after winds blew out windows in their home. Monetary damages are estimates. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A thunderstorm complex over Kentucky and Tennessee moved east into the area during the evening of May 8th. The storm environment was such that storms would have rotation due to strong wind shear, and a low level boundary in place. Supercells developed over southeast Kentucky and moved southeast into far southwest Virginia and into northwest North Carolina during the late evening of May 8th. One storm produced an EF-2 tornado in Northern Alleghany County, with another brief EF-1 tornado touching down just south of the EF-2 track. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 1964-07-12 | 2 | 36°42'N / 79°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Henry | |
* 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.