Grant County, West Virginia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 54023 · population 10,975 · 477 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,129 records for Grant County, West Virginia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 790 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (553 records). 923 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the April 3, 2005 high wind, filed for the forecast zone Grant, which covers the county: 1 death and 2 injuries. FEMA has issued 21 declarations naming the county since 1977, 19 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 1,129on 790 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 33 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $10.0Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 2strongest F0
- FEMA declarations
- 21latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Grant County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 553 since 1996. 55% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The rank column places the county among West Virginia's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 553 | 408 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $2.6M | 3 of 53 |
| Extreme cold | 155 | 110 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $92K | 4 of 53 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 114 | 72 | 1987-2025 | 0 | 0 | $258K | 44 of 53 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 110 | 88 | 2005-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 53 |
| Floods | 67 | 41 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $3.6M | 43 of 53 |
| High wind and dust storms | 63 | 45 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 2 | $422K | 16 of 53 |
| Heat | 26 | 26 | 1999-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 53 |
| Hail | 20 | 12 | 1962-2021 | 1 | 0 | – | 52 of 53 |
| Drought | 10 | 10 | 1997-1999 | 0 | 0 | $3.0M | 43 of 53 |
| Heavy rain | 9 | 9 | 2000-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 of 53 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 1997-1998 | 0 | 0 | $55K | 32 of 53 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Grant County had?
NOAA records 2 tornadoes in Grant County from 1997 to 1998, the strongest rated F0, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 2 tornadoes whose track touched Grant County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 2, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in West Virginia.
Every tornado record filed for Grant County (2)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-08-09 | Petersburg, Grant County | F0 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 1997-06-18 | Petersburg, Grant County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $28K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Grant County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 30, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($3,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-02 | Winter WeatherGrant County · forecast zone Eastern Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-24 | Winter WeatherGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-22 | Winter StormGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-11 | Winter WeatherGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrant County · forecast zone Eastern Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-06 | Winter StormGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrant County · forecast zone Eastern Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-26 | Winter WeatherGrant County · forecast zone Western Grant | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-04-03 | High WindGrant County · forecast zone Grant After the passage of a cold front, strong winds downed many trees and power lines and caused damage to homes and vehicles in the eastern West Virginia panhandle. Some of the downed power lines caused fires. Several thousand people were left without power. A wind gust to 52 mph was reported in Capon Bridge, and a wind ... | 50 kt wind | 1 | 2 | – |
| 2021-04-09 | HailPetersburg, Grant County Golf ball size hail was reported at Petersburg High School. Slippery, hail-covered roads caused a traffic crash that resulted in a fatality in the 2000 block of WV-55 North Fork Highway. | 1.75 in hail | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1996-09-06 | Flash FloodCountywide, Grant County | 1 | 0 | $517K | |
| 2003-02-14 | Winter StormGrant County · forecast zone Grant A complex storm system produced copious amounts of wintery precipitation across the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia between the evening of the 14th and midday on the 18th. The first batch of precipitation fell between the evening of the 14th and the evening of the 15th in the form of light to moderate snow or rain. ... | 0 | 1 | $2.6M |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-09-06 | FloodGrant County · forecast zone Grant | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2003-02-14 | Winter StormGrant County · forecast zone Grant | 0 | 1 | $2.6M | |
| 1996-09-06 | Flash FloodCountywide, Grant County | 1 | 0 | $517K | |
| 1997-06-18 | TornadoPetersburg, Grant County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $28K |
| 1998-08-09 | TornadoPetersburg, Grant County | F0 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 2025-05-30 | Thunderstorm WindBismark, Grant County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Grant County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 20 | 137 | 245 | 151 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 2 | 30 | 78 | 45 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 51 | 32 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 0 | 23 | 71 z | 16 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 9 | 13 | 38 | 7 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 27 | 20 | 14 |
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds in the 2010s: 71 records against 23 in the decade before, 71 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Grant County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
55% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 232 · Feb 168 · Mar 103 · Apr 97 · May 66 · Jun 57 · Jul 71 · Aug 40 · Sep 27 · Oct 62 · Nov 49 · Dec 157 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Grant County
FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include Grant County: 12 major disasters, 8 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3639 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2020-04-03 | DR-4517 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3450 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-08-02 | DR-4455 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2018-07-12 | DR-4378 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2012-10-29 | EM-3358 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 2012-07-23 | DR-4071 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2012-06-30 | EM-3345 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms |
| 2010-04-23 | DR-1903 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms |
| 2007-05-01 | DR-1696 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3221 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-09-23 | DR-1496 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isabel |
| 2003-03-14 | DR-1455 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides |
| 2001-11-16 | FM-2392 | Fire | Wv - Trough and Smoke Hole Fire Complex - 11/16/2001 |
| 1996-09-11 | DR-1137 | Severe Storm | Hurricane Fran and Associated Heavy Rains,Flooding Highwind |
| 1996-01-25 | DR-1096 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1996-01-13 | DR-1084 | Snowstorm | Blizzard of 96 (Severe Snow Storm) |
| 1993-03-17 | EM-3109 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm |
| 1985-11-07 | DR-753 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1977-08-24 | EM-3051 | Drought | Drought |
| 1977-01-19 | EM-3021 | Drought | Drought |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Grant County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 67 flood or flash flood records for Grant County from 1996 to 2025, on 41 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Grant County ranks 1069th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Fran | 1996-09-06 | 2 | 1 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.9 million on 155 claims filed in Grant County; the most in one year was 96 in 1996. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 3 · 1985: 43 · 1989: 1 · 1993: 1 · 1996: 96 · 1997: 2 · 2003: 2 · 2009: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Grant County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Grant County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.2 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $644K | 2.6 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $26K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | $4K | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $258K | once in about 33 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $6.5M | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $74K | 4.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $27K | 20 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $294K | 4.7 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Grant County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in West VirginiaEvery West Virginia tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in West VirginiaThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The West Virginia recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Grant CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Grant County's FEMA declarations (CSV)21 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis