Webster County, West Virginia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 54101 · population 8,359 · 553 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 554 records for Webster County, West Virginia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 424 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (210 records). 354 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 most damaging was the October 29, 2012 blizzard ($6.4 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 23 declarations naming the county since 1980, 21 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
- 554on 424 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 01 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $27Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 23latest 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 Webster County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 210 since 1996. 56% 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 | 210 | 168 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | 16 of 53 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 98 | 73 | 1979-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M | 46 of 53 |
| Floods | 64 | 57 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 39 of 53 |
| Hail | 44 | 34 | 1981-2025 | 0 | 0 | $48K | 41 of 53 |
| Extreme cold | 40 | 38 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $56K | 26 of 53 |
| High wind and dust storms | 40 | 27 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $297K | 43 of 53 |
| Drought | 29 | 19 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 33 of 53 |
| Heat | 19 | 19 | 1996-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 of 53 |
| Heavy rain | 10 | 10 | 1997-2013 | 0 | 1 | – | 35 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.
When was the last damaging storm in Webster County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 11, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindDiana, Webster County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindDiana, Webster County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-11 | Thunderstorm WindBolair, Webster County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtWebster County · forecast zone Southeast Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtWebster County · forecast zone Northwest Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtWebster County · forecast zone Southeast Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtWebster County · forecast zone Northwest Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtWebster County · forecast zone Southeast Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtWebster County · forecast zone Northwest Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Heavy SnowWebster County · forecast zone Northwest Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-16 | Winter WeatherWebster County · forecast zone Southeast Webster | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-13 | Strong WindWebster County · forecast zone Southeast Webster | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-11-26 | Heavy RainSkelt, Webster County After dark, around 2100E a man and a woman began to drive their ATV into the swollen waters of remote Sugar Creek. The stream was still within its banks. Yet, they realized the water was too deep, and attempted to back out, The vehicle overturned in the water. The male made it out of the stream. The female was carried ... | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-29 | BlizzardWebster County · forecast zone Webster | 0 | 0 | $6.4M | |
| 2016-06-23 | FloodCamden On Gauley, Webster County | 0 | 0 | $6.1M | |
| 2016-06-23 | Flash FloodCleveland, Webster County | 0 | 0 | $4.9M | |
| 1996-07-31 | Flash FloodCountywide, Webster County | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2015-07-13 | Flash FloodWebster Spgs, Webster County | 0 | 0 | $747K | |
| 2003-05-10 | FloodWebster County · forecast zone Webster | 0 | 0 | $642K | |
| 2000-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Webster County | 0 | 0 | $600K | |
| 1998-01-27 | Heavy SnowWebster County · forecast zone Webster | 0 | 0 | $453K |
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 Webster 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 | – | – | – | – | 22 | 49 | 62 | 77 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 35 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 11 | 18 | 16 | 19 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 8 | 2 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 14 | 14 | 8 | 4 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 12 | 5 | 22 z |
High wind and dust storms in the 2020-26: 22 records against 5 in the decade before, 22 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 Webster 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?
56% 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 103 · Feb 83 · Mar 49 · Apr 36 · May 49 · Jun 59 · Jul 30 · Aug 23 · Sep 15 · Oct 23 · Nov 24 · Dec 60 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Webster County
FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Webster County: 17 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (10) and flood (4).
| 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 |
| 2016-06-25 | DR-4273 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-08-07 | DR-4236 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2015-03-31 | DR-4210 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2012-11-27 | DR-4093 | Hurricane | Hurricane Sandy |
| 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 |
| 2008-06-19 | DR-1769 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, and |
| 2007-05-01 | DR-1696 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3221 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-06-07 | DR-1522 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2003-11-21 | DR-1500 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Landslides |
| 2003-03-14 | DR-1455 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides |
| 1998-07-01 | DR-1229 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1996-08-14 | DR-1132 | Fire | Heavy Rains, High Winds, Flooding, and Slides |
| 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 |
| 1980-08-15 | DR-628 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
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 Webster County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 64 flood or flash flood records for Webster County from 1996 to 2025, on 57 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Webster County ranks 943rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.5 million on 199 claims filed in Webster County; the most in one year was 50 in 2016. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1980: 3 · 1981: 7 · 1982: 1 · 1984: 8 · 1985: 33 · 1989: 13 · 1991: 1 · 1993: 1 · 1994: 4 · 1995: 1 · 1996: 25 · 1998: 1 · 2002: 2 · 2003: 34 · 2004: 3 · 2005: 2 · 2012: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2016: 50 · 2018: 1 · 2025: 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 Webster County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Webster County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | $30K | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Avalanche | Relatively Low | $4K | once in about 100 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $848K | 3.1 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $5.2M | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $109K | 46 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $17K | 18 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $17K | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Very Low | $9K | once in about 168 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Webster County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- 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 Webster CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Webster County's FEMA declarations (CSV)23 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis