#KnowYourZoneVA on the Northern Neck


Tide rise and storm surge are responsible for a significant portion of tornado- and hurricane-driven damage. Even with that, though, the vast majority of the Northern Neck—Westmoreland County, Richmond County, Northumberland County, and Lancaster County—are not in any of the four "Know Your Zone" risk zones (shown in the image above). This includes the coastline.

Of land and water zoned in the new #KnowYourZoneVA schema, very little of the Northern Neck is in the highest risk zone (A, blue). More land is in Zone B (green). The majority of Northern Neck land and water is not zoned at all.

Westmoreland County

Starting at the north end of Westmoreland County and going south, communities from Potomac Beach to the north and south to Mattox Creek are in Zone C, meaning they are at modest risk of having to evacuate in a hurricane. The communities have residential, commercial, county infrastructure, and river-related and tourism commercial ventures—marinas, river tours, campgrounds, and motels. A small number of agricultural parcels by Mattox Creek are also in Zone C.

Moving south along the coast, Mount Holly, Erica, Coles Point, Meter, and Sandy Point are zoned C. Kinsale, on the Westmoreland/Northumberland counties line, is also in Zone C. While the coast has some residential, the majority of land in this area zoned C is farmland or woodland.

Northumberland County

Starting at the Westmoreland/Northumberland counties line, Cowart is in Zone B. Agriculture is the overwhelming use of parcels here even along the coast. Lewisetta, on the other hand, is farmland and wooded parcels inland but residential and some commercial along the coast (Judith Sound and Kingscote Creek). Lewisetta is in Zone A.

Across the Coan River, the area from Walnut Point to Bay Quarter Neck is in Zone B. Land usage is a mix of residential (mostly along the coast), agricultural, and woodland.

Skip on down to the part of Northumberland County on the Chesapeake Bay coast, and the entire coastline and some land inland is Zone B. This includes Sunnybank, Reedville, Chesapeake Beach, Fairport, Fleeton, Sandy Point, Hardings, Ditchley, and Byrdton. There is significantly less land used for agricultural purposes in this part of the county and more for commercial (business, tourism) and residential.

Lancaster County

Starting at the Northumberland/Lancaster counties line, part of Kilmarnock, Ocran, White Stone, and Palmer are in Zone C. The east/west dividing line is State Route 3 and Mosquito Point Road. Various other places are in Zone A: part of Fleets Bay Neck, around Poplar Neck Creek, Poplar Neck, Antepoison Neck, Antepoison Point, Palmer, Foxwells, Westland, and Windmill Point.

Heading up the Rappahannock River, part of Weems is in Zone C, Bridge Marsh is in Zone A, and part of Bartrand is in Zone A. Up the Great Corrotoman River, zoned A is part of the neck containing the Yankee Point Sailboat Marina, Bar Point, and Yankee Point. Zoned C is the Rappahannock River banks from the mouth of Greenvale Creek north to Wells His Creek, just south of Belle Isle State Park. The bulk of this land is wooded and residential. Belle Isle State Park west to Morattico on the river to Lancaster Creek, east to Ridgefield Farm Road is in Zone A. Residential and commercial dominate land usage.

Richmond County

Starting at the south end of Richmond County, Simonson to Morattico Swamp, up the coastline to Wilna Point is in Zone B. The parcels are largely agricultural or wooded with modest residential and commercial enterprises. The area from Riverdale Road in Tidewater to Welford is in Zone B. The designated land is mostly along the riverbank but some is inland particularly on either side of Totuskey Creek. Much of the land in this area is wooded or agricultural.

Still going north on the Rappahannock River, the entirety of the Bushwood Creek Marsh, up to Naylors Beach Road is in Zone B. Further north, another zoned area (Zone B) contains part of the Rappahannock Valley National Wildlife Refuge north past Waterview Creek, all along the river.

Evacuating from the Northern Neck

The #KnowYourZoneVA evacuation route off the Northern Neck relies on US-17 to Fredericksburg. #KnowYourZoneVA does not prescribe routes to US-17. Presumably, local authorities would manage that part of the evacuation, informed by conditions on the ground—flooding, washouts, downed trees and utility poles, traffic backups, and the like.


This is the fourth in a series of posts about threats and risks, especially during hurricane season.