Natural disaster risk in Virginia Beach City, Virginia
Virginia · population 458,853 · FIPS 51810
Overall: relatively low risk
Virginia Beach City has a composite risk score of 57.9 out of 100 — higher than 57% of US counties. It ranks 25 of 133 in Virginia (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are lightning, heat wave, hurricane.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 4 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Virginia Beach City is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Drought in Virginia Beach City: 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 57.9 |
| Expected annual loss About $30.6 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively low 72.9 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 10.6 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 82.8 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Virginia Beach City, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively high 86 |
| Heat wave | Relatively moderate 91 |
| Hurricane | Relatively moderate 88 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively moderate 67 |
| Tornado | Relatively moderate 66 |
| Earthquake | Relatively low 67 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 56 |
| Hail | Relatively low 54 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 43 |
| Winter weather | Relatively low 37 |
| Wildfire | Very low 55 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 27 |
| Drought | Very low 21 |
| Landslide | Very low 15 |
| Strong wind | Very low 14 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Insufficient data |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Virginia Beach City
Federal declarations that designated Virginia Beach City, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Virginia Beach City has been named in 1 FEMA declaration 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 |
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 Virginia Beach City, Virginia?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Virginia Beach City as relatively low, with a score of 57.9 out of 100 (higher than 57% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Virginia Beach City?
The hazards rated highest for Virginia Beach City are lightning (relatively high), heat wave (relatively moderate), hurricane (relatively moderate).
What is the flood risk in Virginia Beach City?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Virginia Beach City as very low, and coastal flooding risk as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Virginia Beach City had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Virginia Beach City has been named in 1 FEMA declaration since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is EM-3631-VA (Severe Winter Storm), declared 23 Jan 2026.
Is Virginia Beach City in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 100% of Virginia Beach City is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 4 weeks in a row.
Every county in Virginia, ranked · All states · Disasters near me