Storm risk in Newport News (independent city), Virginia
FEMA's overall hazard score for Newport News is 72.23 (Relatively Low), 874th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 60.62 (Relatively Low), strong wind 78.91 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 74.08 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $8.29 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 13 hail reports in Newport News from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.
- Newport News, coloured by its FEMA rating
- all U.S. counties
- each county in the state
- U.S. median
- state median
Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.
How FEMA rates Newport News
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in VA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively Low | 72.23 | 874 of 3,144 | 14 of 133 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 60.62 | 1,239 of 3,126 | 9 of 133 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 78.91 | 664 of 3,126 | 16 of 133 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 74.08 | 816 of 3,126 | 6 of 133 |
Expected yearly loss, in dollars
| Hazard | This county, total a year | Per $1M of buildings | State median county | U.S. median county | Rank per $1M, U.S. | Rank per $1M, state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | $272,964 | $8.29 | $5.39 | $22 | 2,202 of 3,126 | 42 of 133 |
| Strong wind | $214,865 | $6.53 | $15 | $20 | 2,488 of 3,121 | 105 of 133 |
| Tornado | $3,048,279 | $93 | $54 | $199 | 2,112 of 3,144 | 14 of 133 |
Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.
What stands out in Newport News
- FEMA expects hail in Newport News to cost $8.29 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.37 times the U.S. median and 1.54 times the VA county median, ranked 2,202nd of 3,126 counties nationally and 42nd of 133 in Virginia.
- FEMA expects strong wind in Newport News to cost $6.53 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.32 times the U.S. median and 0.44 times the VA county median, ranked 2,488th of 3,121 counties nationally and 105th of 133 in Virginia.
- FEMA expects tornado in Newport News to cost $93 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.47 times the U.S. median and 1.72 times the VA county median, ranked 2,112th of 3,144 counties nationally and 14th of 133 in Virginia.
- NOAA has only 13 hail reports for Newport News in 12 years, too few for a trend; FEMA's 129 counted hail events cover a longer record.
- Applying FEMA's estimate to a $243,300 home, the average yearly loss in Newport News is about $2.02 for hail and $1.59 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $5.44 and $4.96.
- If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Newport News meets about 10.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
- Built in 1979, the median home in Newport News is 47 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 81.7% of its 81,850 homes are at least 26 years old.
- March to June holds 6 of the 13 hail reports in Newport News (46 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.
What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year
Enter a home value. The calculator applies Newport News’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.
Formula: home value × Newport News yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $272,964 ÷ $32,927,309,475 = 0.0000083. Wind: $214,865 ÷ $32,927,309,475 = 0.0000065. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.
Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.
Newport News in plain numbers
- Newport News scores 72.23 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 874th of 3,144 rated counties and 14th of 133 in Virginia.
- Hail scores 60.62 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $272,964 of hail damage to buildings in Newport News a year, which is $8.29 per $1 million of buildings, 0.37 times the U.S. median.
- Strong wind scores 78.91 (Relatively Moderate) with $214,865 of expected yearly building loss in Newport News: $6.53 per $1 million of buildings, 0.32 times the U.S. median.
- Tornado scores 74.08 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $3,048,279, counting everything exposed, or $93 per $1 million of buildings in Newport News.
- FEMA's own event record for Newport News averages 2.04 hail events and 0.63 strong-wind events a year.
- NOAA logged 13 hail reports in Newport News between 2014 and June 2026, on 8 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1.5 inches.
- In Newport News, FEMA counts buildings worth 32.93 billion dollars and 186,209 residents.
- Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Newport News.
- Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 186,209 residents.
- 1 city in Newport News is covered on this site: Newport News. 8 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
- Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Newport News is $6,860 to $15,190.
- Newport News ranks 142 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 139 for wind and 153 for tornado.
- In Newport News, February is the busiest month with 5 of the 13 reports (38 percent), against 0 reports in August.
- Newport News's worst year was 2026, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 3 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.50 such days a year, one about every 24.0 months.
- The median home in Newport News was built in 1979; 50.8% of its 81,850 housing units date from before 1980, 81.7% from before 2000 and 8.2% from 2010 on.
- Census puts the median home value in Newport News at $243,300, and 48.1% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- 1,247 single-family building permits were issued in Newport News from 2014 to 2025, about 15.2 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2020.
- NOAA lists 1 tornado track in Newport News since 2014; the strongest was an EF0 on April 19, 2019 near Menchville, 1.8 miles long.
- The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Newport News is 78 mph on June 14, 2026 at (Phf)Newport News.
- The nearest county with a page here is Norfolk (independent city), 19 miles from the centre of Newport News; its hail score is 68.83.
- Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 6 roofing contractor establishments in Newport News in 2023, one for every 13,642 homes.
The hail record of Newport News, year by year
NOAA logged 13 reports in Newport News; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 8 days. With so few reports the yearly bars below are small numbers, and a single storm moves them.
- reports
- days with hail of 1 inch or more
- * 2026 runs to June only
Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: February, 5 reports.
The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
| Year | Reports | Days, 1 inch or more | Days, 1.75 inch or more | Largest stone | Damage reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1.25 in | – |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 in | – |
| 2026 (to June) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in | $1,000 |
Biggest hail days in Newport News
| Date | Largest stone | Reports that day | Damage reported | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2026 | 1.5 in | 1 | none recorded | (Phf)Newport News |
| February 25, 2017 | 1.25 in | 5 | none recorded | Oyster Pt |
| June 23, 2026 | 1 in | 2 | $1,000 | Oyster Pt |
| April 26, 2019 | 1 in | 1 | none recorded | (Phf)Newport News |
| March 18, 2021 | 1 in | 1 | none recorded | Harpersville |
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Newport News the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, Newport News
- 131 to 1.74 in
- 01.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 02.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 1.5 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
13 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineWind and tornado records for Newport News
Fastest gusts in Newport News
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| June 14, 2026 | 78 mph | (Phf)Newport News |
| March 5, 2025 | 63 mph | Oyster Pt |
| June 30, 2015 | 62 mph | Patrick Henry Fld |
| June 14, 2022 | 62 mph | Patrick Henry Fld |
Strongest tornado tracks in Newport News
| Date | Scale | Length | Injured / killed | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 19, 2019 | EF0 | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Menchville |
1 tornado track in all since 2014; the strongest 1 are listed.
How old the roofs are
Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Newport News’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.50 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.
Bars: share of 81,850 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 50.8% |
| Built before 2000 | 81.7% |
| Built since 2010 | 8.2% |
| Owner-occupied | 48.1% |
| Median home value | $243,300 |
| Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025 | 1,247 |
| Permits per 1,000 homes | 15.2 |
Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.
Roofers and past disasters in Newport News
Roofing firms in Newport News
| Roofing contractor establishments, 2023 | 6 |
| Change since 2016 | +2 (+50%) |
| Homes per roofing firm | 13,642 |
| Median across counties | 5,189 |
| Employees, 2023 | 11 |
Source for Newport News: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.
Nearby counties
The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Newport News's.
| County | Miles | Overall | Hail loss | Hail, times here | Wind loss | Wind, times here | NOAA hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk (independent city), VA | 19 | Relatively Moderate | $10 | 1.26 | $9.46 | 1.45 | 11 |
| Chesapeake (independent city), VA | 29 | Relatively Low | $11 | 1.32 | $0.36 | 0.06 | 21 |
| Richmond (independent city), VA | 62 | Relatively Low | $7.43 | 0.90 | $0.39 | 0.06 | 3 |
| Lynchburg (independent city), VA | 148 | Relatively Low | $2.89 | 0.35 | $29 | 4.46 | 14 |
| Harrisonburg (independent city), VA | 160 | Very Low | $8.10 | 0.98 | $17 | 2.66 | 2 |
| Roanoke (independent city), VA | 190 | Relatively Low | $4.66 | 0.56 | $16 | 2.47 | 2 |
Cities and ZIP areas in Newport News
1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 8 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Newport News | 23601 (100%), 23602 (100%), 23603 (97%), 23604 (100%), 23607 (100%) | Roofers |
Storm hit your roof in Newport News? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.
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How high is storm risk in Newport News?
FEMA's National Risk Index gives Newport News an overall score of 72.23 (Relatively Low), 874th of 3,144. Hail scores 60.62 (Relatively Low), strong wind 78.91 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 74.08 (Relatively Moderate).
In Newport News, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?
A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 13 for Newport News between 2014 and June 2026, on 8 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1.5 inches.
What do hail and wind cost a home in Newport News each year, on average?
Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $243,300: FEMA's estimate is about $2.02 a year for hail and $1.59 for wind, before any deductible, against $5.44 and $4.96 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.
How does Newport News compare with the rest of Virginia?
Per $1 million of buildings Newport News loses $8.29 to hail a year, against $5.39 in the median county of the state. Among 133 rated counties it is 9th for hail, 16th for strong wind and 6th for tornado.
How old are the roofs in Newport News?
The median home was built in 1979, 47 years ago, and 81.7% of the 81,850 housing units in Newport News date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.
What does expected annual loss mean?
It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.
Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?
No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.
Sources for Newport News: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Newport News; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Newport News; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Newport News. Planning-level information about Newport News, not an inspection and not insurance advice.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).