Grayson County, VA Environment & Hazard Risk

• LandslideRelatively Moderate$47.3K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.3 events a year
• Cold waveRelatively Moderate$2.5M/yr expected annual loss, about 4.8 events a year
• DroughtRelatively Low$208K/yr expected annual loss, about 9.8 events a year
• LightningRelatively Low$202K/yr expected annual loss, about 48 events a year
• HurricaneVery Low$80.1K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 36 years
• WildfireVery Low$25.3K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 731 years
• AvalancheVery Low$256/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
• Ice stormRelatively Low$39.7K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
• EarthquakeVery Low$109K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 660 years
• Winter weatherRelatively Low$18.5K/yr expected annual loss, about 19 events a year
• Strong windRelatively Low$150K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.6 events a year
• TornadoVery Low$151K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 11 years
• HailVery Low$39K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.0 events a year

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: coastal flooding, heat wave, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance

17 of 8,540 (0.2%)

Homes in high-risk flood zones

194

Insured in high-risk zones

12 (6%)

Flood claims since 1978

6

Claims paid since 1978

$11.4K

• High Wind92 · 1 death
• Hail78
• Thunderstorm Wind78
• Winter Storm47
• Flash Flood39 · 1 death
• Heavy Snow32
• Drought26
• Flood14
• Ice Storm10
• Winter Weather8

• High Wind56 kt wind09/27/2024

  Grayson

  1 death, 3 injured, $75.5M damage

  What happened

  Numerous trees were downed countywide by high winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Helene, many of which fell into fences, structures, and roads, and resulted in several roads being blocked and many power outages. By late morning on Friday, over 10,700 customers were without power in the area. A 65 mph wind gust was recorded approximately four miles west of the town of Rugby at 7:40 AM. Agriculture damage totaled around $60 million across the county, and forestry damage totaled around $15 million. Christmas tree growers lost $281,250 and the dead trees will result in an additional $281,250 annually through 2031. The high winds also caused damage to agriculture structures on several farms. One male passed away after losing his home. Three minor injuries were reported during the storm.

• Flash Flood09/27/2024

  Whitetop, Grayson County

  1 death, $61M damage

  What happened

  Considerable to catastrophic flash flooding occurred across Grayson County. This included at least 200 bridges or culverts that were completely washed out, making the roads impassible. Five large pipes were washed out in the county: three on Route 783 (Helton Creek Lane) and two on Route 749 (Cabin Creek).

• Drought09/01/2007

  Grayson

  $7M damage

  What happened

  Hay and pasture production was down fifty percent due to the drought resulting in a shortage of winter feed for livestock.

• Lightning06/24/1998

  Whitetop, Grayson County

  3 injured

  What happened

  Isolated thunderstorms on the 24th produced up to dime size hail and damaging winds.Three youths were injured 3.5 miles northeast of Whitetop after being struck by lightning.Thunderstorm winds toppled large trees 1.5 miles southeast of Pilot on Laurel Ridge Mill Road.

• Flood09/26/2024

  Reavistown, Grayson County

  $2M damage

  What happened

  The New River near Galax (GAXV2) crested at 21.26 feet (108,000 cfs) at 10:15 PM EDT on Sept. 27th (28/0215 UTC) due to heavy rain associated with Tropical Cyclone Helene. This is the second highest crest in the history of this gage, only behind the flooding event of August 1940. This crest rates between a 100-year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI)(1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP)) and a 200-year ARI (0.5% AEP) per USGS StreamStats. The flooding was the result of between 10 and locally 20 inches of rain that fell across the upper New River basin between the 25th and 27th, with totals ranging anywhere from between a 200-year and more than a 1,000-year ARI per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Extensive flooding occurred along several roads along the banks of the river, including Grinders Mill Road, Riverview Lane, Riverside Drive, Pleasant Grove Road, Little River Road, Old River Lane, Riverwood Lane, Pattons Mill Lane, Greenville Road, and Gold Hill Road. In some cases, the roads were simply flooded, cutting off access to residents living along the roads. Some of the homes had water enter the properties, destroying and/or carrying away personal...

• Drought07/10/2007

  Grayson

  $1.5M damage

  What happened

  Hay and pasture production was down fourty to fifty percent due to the drought resulting in a shortage of winter feed for livestock.

• Independence, Town ofServes 971 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
• Fairview Water SystemServes 730 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
• Fries, Town ofServes 484 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+11 monitoring or reporting
• Grant CommunityServes 350 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Oldtown Water SystemServes 301 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
• Oak Hill AcademyServes 225 · Groundwater · Private1 health violation+30 monitoring or reporting
• Troutdale, Town ofServes 220 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+46 monitoring or reporting
• Sun Valley Trailer ParkServes 25 · Groundwater · Private1 health violation+7 monitoring or reporting