West Virginia floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 55 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,166 floods and flash floods in West Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 138 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 23, 2016 flash flood in Greenbrier County: 16 deaths and $50.4 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. West Virginia ranks 17th of 52 states and territories by count and 10th of 51 per square mile.
Floods in West Virginia, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 4,1661996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 138average
- Deaths
- 8512 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.6Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2025528 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in West Virginia?
West Virginia averages about 138 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 17th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (528). Per 10,000 square miles of land, West Virginia records 1733 floods and flash floods since 1996, 10th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in West Virginia have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Ohio County leads West Virginia: 45 days with a flood since 1996, 425.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Kanawha County has the most flood records (204 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in West Virginia?
West Virginia's floods and flash floods by month. The busiest month is June (655 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 289 · Feb 576 · Mar 290 · Apr 362 · May 608 · Jun 655 · Jul 532 · Aug 357 · Sep 265 · Oct 11 · Nov 127 · Dec 94 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in West Virginia?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06-23 | Flash FloodRainelle, Greenbrier County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. One of the worst flash floods in the history of West Virginia occurred on June 23, 2016 as extreme rainfall occurred across portions of Greenbrier and several adjacent counties. There were 15 fatalities in Greenbrier County and widespread catastrophic damage across much of the county. Summers and Monroe counties had ... | 16 | 0 | $50M | |
| 2025-06-14 | Flash FloodRoneys Pt, Ohio County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. On the evening of June 14th, a slow moving thunderstorm passed over portions of Ohio County just east of the city of Wheeling. It's slow movement and interaction with another storm allowed for very heavy rainfall in a short period of time. In addition, precipitable water values were very high - in the 90th percentile. ... | 9 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| 2016-06-23 | FloodKing, Kanawha County One storm episode: 14 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. Multiple rounds of convection resulted in wind damage and flooding. Flash flooding on small streams turned into river flooding. A historic and record setting flood occurred along portions of the Elk and Gauley Rivers in central West Virginia. Less significant flooding occurred on the perimeter of the hardest hit area. ... | 7 | 0 | $148M | |
| 2025-02-15 | Flash FloodKeystone, McDowell County One storm episode: 64 records in 18 places, 2025-02-15 to 2025-02-17; the totals are the episode's. Light precipitation started to arrive on the evening of February 14th due to an approaching low pressure system, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south. This promoted a brief instance of thunderstorms on the morning of February 15th, with ... | 3 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2000-02-18 | Flash FloodSissonville, Kanawha County One storm episode: 14 records in 12 places, 2000-02-18 to 2000-02-19; the totals are the episode's. A warm front surged north during the morning of Friday the 18th, dropping a half inch to an inch of rain. Meanwhile, low pressure extended from southern Ohio on down the entire length of the Ohio River during that afternoon. A southerly wind at the surface, with dew points in the 55 to 60 degree range, fed moisture ... | 3 | 0 | $9.9M | |
| 1996-09-06 | Hurricane Fran · Flash FloodCountywide, Pendleton County One named storm filed by several offices: 14 records in 10 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 2 | 0 | $40M | |
| 2010-03-13 | FloodBesoco, Raleigh County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. After a cold and snowy February, a switch to a warmer pattern began during the second week of the month. This started the runoff from a deep snow pack over the West Virginia mountainous counties. A widespread 2 to 4 inches of water resided in the snow pack with some ridgetops exceeding 6 inches of water in the snow. ... | 2 | 0 | $8.4M | |
| 1998-06-28 | Flash FloodSissonville, Kanawha County One storm episode: 17 records in 13 places; the totals are the episode's. Three consecutive nights of thunderstorms left western and northern counties with wind damage and flooding. The first night was from Friday evening, the 26th, into early Saturday morning, the 27th. The convection on the second and third nights was further south than the first night, hitting the Parkersburg to ... | 2 | 0 | $32M | |
| 1997-06-01 | Flash FloodWestern Portion, Raleigh County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. Rains of 2.5 to 3.5 inches fell over the mountainous terrain in less than 3 hours. A coal mine along Clear Fork reported a total of 3.4 inches of rain. Flooding was most serious in the Clear Creek to Artie vicinity, including Toney Fork, Workman Creek, White Oak Creek, and Clear Fork. A 34 year old woman and a 15 year ... | 2 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1997-03-02 | FloodWayne County · forecast zone Wayne | 2 | 0 | $919K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in West Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-07-08 | Flash FloodEast Portion, Wyoming County One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $334M | |
| 2016-06-23 | FloodKing, Kanawha County One storm episode: 14 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. | 7 | 0 | $148M | |
| 2002-05-02 | Flash FloodCountywide, McDowell County One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $147M | |
| 2004-09-17 | FloodOhio County · forecast zone Ohio | 0 | 0 | $62M | |
| 2004-09-17 | FloodHancock County · forecast zone Hancock | 0 | 0 | $56M | |
| 2009-05-09 | FloodVerner, Mingo County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $55M | |
| 2016-06-23 | Flash FloodRainelle, Greenbrier County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 16 | 0 | $50M | |
| 1996-09-06 | Hurricane Fran · Flash FloodCountywide, Pendleton County One named storm filed by several offices: 14 records in 10 episodes; the totals are the storm's. | 2 | 0 | $40M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in West Virginia?
West Virginia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | West Virginia | United States | West Virginia's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 483 | 20,986 | 2.3% |
| 2000s | 1,022 | 54,913 | 1.9% |
| 2010s | 1,199 | 68,322 | 1.8% |
| 2020-26 | 1,462 | 43,563 | 3.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in West Virginia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-28 | Flash FloodMontrose, Randolph County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-28 | Flash FloodCalhoun, Barbour County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-28 | Flash FloodLost Creek, Harrison County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodWest Milford, Harrison County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodQuiet Dell, Harrison County | 0 | 0 | $40K | |
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodWest Milford, Harrison County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | FloodSouth Madison, Boone County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | FloodPax, Fayette County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | Flash FloodEunice, Raleigh County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | Flash FloodFive Block, Logan County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2026-06-23 | FloodMurphy, Barbour County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-06-23 | FloodRamage, Boone County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in West Virginia
FEMA has declared 65 disasters in West Virginia for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 64 were major disasters, the latest on August 3, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | DR-4932 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 4 |
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4884 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 2 |
| 2025-02-26 | DR-4861 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 12 |
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4787 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 13 |
| 2024-05-22 | DR-4783 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 15 |
| 2024-01-30 | DR-4756 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 6 |
| 2022-11-28 | DR-4679 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 1 |
| 2022-11-28 | DR-4678 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 1 |
| 2021-05-20 | DR-4605 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 7 |
| 2019-08-02 | DR-4455 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 5 |
| 2018-07-12 | DR-4378 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 7 |
| 2018-04-17 | DR-4359 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 21 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Ohio County: the county's whole recordThe West Virginia county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in West VirginiaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in West Virginia8,453 records
- Winter storms in West Virginia7,140 records
- Hail in West Virginia3,144 records