Scott County, VA Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by landslide. 308 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $8.4M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 308
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 51
- 0.5% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 1 tropical storm or stronger since 1932
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 42.0 of 100
Social vulnerability
Very High
Score 87.8 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 6.2 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $5B · Agriculture value exposed: $20M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $13.7M
Risk by hazard
- LandslideRelatively Moderate$124K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
- AvalancheVery Low$1,470/yr expected annual loss, about once every 100 years
- EarthquakeRelatively Low$375K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 505 years
- WildfireVery Low$33.9K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 389 years
- Strong windRelatively Low$365K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.8 events a year
- Winter weatherRelatively Low$38.9K/yr expected annual loss, about 11 events a year
- DroughtRelatively Low$71.5K/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
- LightningRelatively Low$126K/yr expected annual loss, about 51 events a year
- HurricaneVery Low$16.3K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 96 years
- Cold waveRelatively Low$211K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.4 events a year
- TornadoVery Low$147K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 11 years
- Ice stormVery Low$6,343/yr expected annual loss, about once every 15 years
- HailVery Low$28.4K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.9 events a year
- Heat waveVery Low$2,690/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 years
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, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 51 of 11,154 (0.5%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 466
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 38 (8%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 36
- Claims paid since 1978
- $395K
Flood claims paid per year
- Heavy rains$33.9K · 1 claim
- Flooding$1,193 · 3 claims
Storm history
Since 1996: 308 events, 2 deaths, $1.5M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind160
- Heavy Snow45
- Flash Flood28 · 2 deaths
- Winter Storm23
- Hail21
- Winter Weather10
- Flood10
- Ice Storm5
- Tornado4
- High Wind2
Events per year
4 tornadoes on record (EF1 1, F0 3).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Flash Flood08/18/2010
Weber City, Scott County
1 death
What happened
Law enforcement personnel reported heavy rain from a slow moving thunderstorm in Weber City caused a 16 year old male to be swept away into flood waters and drowned.
- Flash Flood07/29/2001
Ft Blackmore, Scott County
1 death
- Flood02/14/2003
Scott
$100K damage
- Flash Flood02/16/2003
Countywide, Scott County
$100K damage
Drinking water
13 community water systems serve about 15,880 people. Violations since 2021.
3 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 6 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- Moccasin Gap_scott Co PsaServes 5,412 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
- Duffield_scott Co PsaServes 4,600 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Gate City, Town ofServes 2,034 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Scpsa - NickelsvilleServes 1,000 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local governmentNo health violations+3 monitoring or reporting
- Daniel Boone/Scott Co PsaServes 918 · Purchased surface water · Local government4 health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- Ecv/Scott Co PsaServes 437 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Dungannon, Town ofServes 410 · Groundwater (surface influenced) · Local government3 health violations+8 monitoring or reporting
- East Carters ValleyServes 285 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 2 toxic release facilities in Scott County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Joy Global Underground Mining LLC1,005 lbs released, Duffield
- Tempur Production USA Inc20 lbs released, Duffield
Total: 1,025 lbs in 2024, 525 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk5 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Scott County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Scott County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $8.4M a year. The highest-rated hazards are landslide (relatively moderate), avalanche (very low), earthquake (relatively low).
- What storms are most common in Scott County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 308 storm events affecting Scott County, most often thunderstorm wind (160), heavy snow (45), flash flood (28).
- How many tornadoes have hit Scott County?
- 4 tornadoes have been recorded in Scott County since 1950.
- How many homes in Scott County have flood insurance?
- 51 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Scott County, covering about 0.5% of homes. The program has paid $395K on 36 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Scott County?
- At Big Stone Gap, average highs reach 84°F in Jul and lows fall to 24°F in Jan, with 56.0 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.