PlainHazard

West Virginia lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 32 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 96 lightning records in West Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 3.1 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 1, 2015 lightning in Fayette County: 1 death and 2 injuries. West Virginia ranks 40th of 52 states and territories by count and 35th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in West Virginia, 1996 to 2026

Lightning 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
961996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
3.1average
Deaths
342 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$7.9Mas filed
Busiest year
199710 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 lightning records common in West Virginia?

West Virginia averages about 3.1 lightning records a year since 2000, 40th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1997 (10). Per 10,000 square miles of land, West Virginia records 40 lightning records since 1996, 35th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 859
  2. 2. Delaware 744
  3. 3. Massachusetts 642
  4. 4. Rhode Island 571
  5. 5. Connecticut 353
  6. 6. Florida 331
  7. 7. Maryland 322
  8. 8. New Hampshire 232
  9. 9. Georgia 228
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 175
  11. 35. West Virginia 40

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 lightning records?

Per square mile, Wood County leads West Virginia: 10 days with a lightning record since 1996, 27.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Kanawha County has the most lightning records (11 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. Wood County 27.3 (10)
  2. Jefferson County 23.9 (5)
  3. Mercer County 16.7 (7)
  4. Cabell County 14.2 (4)
  5. Berkeley County 12.5 (5)
  6. Putnam County 11.6 (4)
  7. Raleigh County 11.6 (7)
  8. Kanawha County 11.1 (11)
  9. Ohio County 9.4 (1)
  10. Harrison County 7.2 (4)
  11. Preston County 6.2 (4)
  12. Barbour County 5.9 (2)

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 lightning season in West Virginia?

54% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (30 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1 · Feb 1 · Mar 4 · Apr 3 · May 13 · Jun 22 · Jul 30 · Aug 18 · Sep 4 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

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

What were the deadliest lightning records in West Virginia?

West Virginia: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2015-06-01 LightningGatewood, Fayette County Lightning struck a tree near where 3 teenage boys were fishing on a small residential pond. The location is off of Elverton Road and near the Bridge Haven Golf Course. One boy died, the 2 others were injured. 1 2 –
1997-08-17 LightningClarksburg, Harrison County A lightning strike ignited a house fire in a Summit Park one floor house, killing the 81 year od woman sleeping inside. The bolt travelled into the home on an electric wire serving an outdoor light fixture. 1 0 $64K
2005-07-27 LightningSt Albans, Kanawha County A 53 year old male was on top of a car hauler, preparing to unload a vehicle, when he was struck and killed. The storm did not contain a lot of cloud to ground lightning, which may have been deceptive to the worker. 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.

The costliest lightning records in West Virginia

West Virginia: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2019-05-25 LightningBens Run, Tyler County 0 0 $1.2M
2023-07-09 LightningScott Depot, Putnam County 0 0 $969K
1998-05-24 LightningMontcalm, Mercer County 0 0 $905K
2006-08-26 LightningCharles Town, Jefferson County 0 0 $732K
2014-07-14 LightningBancroft, Putnam County 0 0 $623K
1997-08-17 LightningMasontown, Preston County 0 0 $552K
2006-06-01 LightningCharles Town, Jefferson County 0 0 $439K
2010-04-05 LightningBuckhannon, Upshur County 0 1 $338K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are lightning 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.

Lightning: West Virginia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWest VirginiaUnited StatesWest Virginia's share
1996-99253,5210.71%
2000s258,0520.31%
2010s395,1030.76%
2020-2671,5440.45%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in West Virginia

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-07-01 LightningPettyville, Wood County 0 0 $250
2025-06-27 LightningNimitz, Summers County 0 0 $6K
2023-07-09 LightningScott Depot, Putnam County 0 0 $969K
2019-06-24 LightningGlenwood, Mercer County 0 1 $12K
2019-05-25 LightningBens Run, Tyler County 0 0 $1.2M
2017-02-28 LightningClear Creek, Raleigh County 0 2 –
2015-06-01 LightningGatewood, Fayette County 1 2 –
2014-07-14 LightningBancroft, Putnam County 0 0 $623K
2014-06-10 LightningGuyan Terrace, Logan County 0 1 –
2013-05-23 LightningAlumville, Kanawha County 0 1 –
2013-05-23 LightningAlumville, Kanawha County 0 1 –
2012-07-11 LightningBoreman, Wood County 0 1 –

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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