PlainHazard

West Virginia heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 42 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 904 heat records in West Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 37 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 10, 2019 heat in Mingo County: 1 death. West Virginia ranks 20th of 51 states and territories by count and 14th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in West Virginia, 1996 to 2026

Heat 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
9041996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
37average
Deaths
16 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
2000175 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 heat records common in West Virginia?

West Virginia averages about 37 heat records a year since 2000, 20th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2000 (175). Per 10,000 square miles of land, West Virginia records 376 heat records since 1996, 14th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537
  11. 14. West Virginia 376

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 heat records?

Per square mile, Jefferson County leads West Virginia: 42 days with a heat record since 1996, 200.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Jefferson County has the most heat records (42 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).

  1. Jefferson County 200.7 (42)
  2. Morgan County 161.5 (37)
  3. Pleasants County 146.0 (19)
  4. Berkeley County 127.7 (41)
  5. Taylor County 110.0 (19)
  6. Mineral County 82.3 (29)
  7. Wirt County 81.7 (19)
  8. Cabell County 74.7 (21)
  9. Tyler County 74.1 (20)
  10. Calhoun County 68.0 (19)
  11. Putnam County 60.8 (21)
  12. Doddridge County 59.4 (19)

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 the heat season in West Virginia?

42% of its heat records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (203 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 181 · Feb 203 · Mar 79 · Apr 34 · May 8 · Jun 46 · Jul 168 · Aug 67 · Sep 37 · Oct 8 · Nov 5 · Dec 68 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in West Virginia?

West Virginia: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-07-10 HeatMingo County · forecast zone Mingo Early and mid July were dominated by a ridge, with hot and humid conditions most days. On July 10th, an elderly male went missing while out picking berries in the forest. He was found deceased that evening. A combination of prior health issues and the heat are blamed for his death. The high temperature at East Lynn ... 1 0 –

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.

Are heat records 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.

Heat: West Virginia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWest VirginiaUnited StatesWest Virginia's share
1996-993134,3557.2%
2000s4239,1634.6%
2010s13216,4450.8%
2020-263626,7960.1%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in West Virginia

The 7 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-24 Excessive HeatBerkeley County · forecast zone Berkeley 0 0 –
2025-06-24 Excessive HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson 0 0 –
2025-06-23 Excessive HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson 0 0 –
2025-06-23 Excessive HeatBerkeley County · forecast zone Berkeley 0 0 –
2019-07-10 HeatMingo County · forecast zone Mingo 1 0 –
1999-07-04 HeatBerkeley County · forecast zone Berkeley 0 3 –
1999-06-07 HeatJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson 0 3 –

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.

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