Pocahontas County, West Virginia: hazard risk
FEMA rates Pocahontas County's overall risk Very Low (score 27.5 of 100, higher than 27% of rated U.S. counties). Its storm record holds 570 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 89.8 | $42K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 54.2 | $5.6M |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 51.7 | $184K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 48.8 | $672K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 35.0 | $27K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 34.7 | $29K |
| Avalanche | Very Low | 66.4 | $2K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 48.1 | $46K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 23.1 | $27K |
| Hail | Very Low | 18.9 | $49K |
| Strong Wind | Very Low | 15.7 | $99K |
| Ice Storm | Very Low | 14.5 | $7K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 13.2 | $3K |
| Tornado | Very Low | 5.6 | $18K |
| Heat Wave | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 259 | 0 | $1.4M | 22nd of 53 | 538th of 3,077 |
| Floods | 61 | 0 | $8.6M | 53rd of 53 | 1466th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 57 | 1 | $1.3M | 53rd of 53 | 2639th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 53 | 0 | $281K | 47th of 53 | 1021st of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 48 | 0 | $56K | 40th of 53 | 501st of 3,076 |
| Hail | 31 | 0 | $10K | 53rd of 53 | 2702nd of 3,080 |
| Drought | 27 | 0 | – | 46th of 53 | 1675th of 3,063 |
| Heat | 19 | 0 | – | 40th of 53 | 992nd of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 14 | 0 | – | 39th of 53 | 624th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 0 | – | 47th of 53 | 2904th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Pocahontas County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.