Natural disaster risk in Pittsylvania County, Virginia
Virginia · population 60,500 · FIPS 51143
Overall: relatively low risk
Pittsylvania County has a composite risk score of 63.8 out of 100 — higher than 63% of US counties. It ranks 19 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are inland (riverine) flooding, drought, winter weather.
Drought now: Yes: D3 Extreme Drought, 25 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 17.52% of Pittsylvania County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 25 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Drought in Pittsylvania County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively low 63.8 |
| Expected annual loss About $16.5 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 54.1 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very high 81.9 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 25.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Pittsylvania County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 77 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 73 |
| Winter weather | Relatively moderate 68 |
| Ice storm | Relatively moderate 62 |
| Lightning | Relatively moderate 58 |
| Hurricane | Relatively low 77 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 70 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 66 |
| Hail | Relatively low 54 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 52 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 44 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 40 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 36 |
| Wildfire | Very low 44 |
| Avalanche | Very low 21 |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Pittsylvania County
Federal declarations that designated Pittsylvania County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Pittsylvania County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EM-3631-VA | Emergency | Severe Winter Storm | 23 Jan 2026 | No |
| DR-4863-VA | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 4 Apr 2025 | No |
| DR-4831-VA | Major disaster | Tropical Storm Helene | 1 Oct 2024 | Yes |
| EM-3621-VA | Emergency | Post-Tropical Cyclone Helene | 29 Sep 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Virginia, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Pittsylvania County, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Pittsylvania County as relatively low, with a score of 63.8 out of 100 (higher than 63% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Pittsylvania County?
The hazards rated highest for Pittsylvania County are inland (riverine) flooding (relatively moderate), drought (relatively moderate), winter weather (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Pittsylvania County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Pittsylvania County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Pittsylvania County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Pittsylvania County has been named in 4 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Pittsylvania County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 17.52% of Pittsylvania County is in D3 Extreme Drought. Some of it has been at D3 or worse for 25 weeks in a row. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).
Every county in Virginia, ranked · All states · Disasters near me