41
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Ritchie County, West Virginia: 41 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #797 nationally and #18 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Ritchie County, West Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Ritchie County is the 2010s, when 18 of the county's 41 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Ritchie County archive, flash flood makes up 17.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #797 for this hazard and #18 within West Virginia, putting it in the 73.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Ritchie County with 13 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 2025 | CORNWALLIS | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2025 | WASHBURN | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2024 | HIGHLAND | 0 | $3K |
| Apr 11, 2024 | HARRISVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 2022 | PULLMAN | 0 | $8K |
| Aug 11, 2022 | BEATRICE | 0 | $5K |
| May 4, 2021 | TOLL GATE | 0 | $20K |
| May 4, 2021 | PENNSBORO | 0 | $5K |
| Jun 28, 2020 | TOLL GATE | 0 | $2K |
| Jun 14, 2020 | PENNSBORO | 0 | $4K |
Other hazards here
More from Ritchie County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Serious flash flooding occurred. Outbuildings, mobile homes, and vehicles washed down Addis, Bear, and Buky Runs. A few wooden homes were moved off their foundations. A mother and her 3 teenage daughters were rescued by the Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department by boat after their mobile home started floating in the flood waters of Addis Run. The home was stopped and held by the block of their air condition unit. The mother later said, "I was in the living room hugging my kids with water up to our knees. We really thought we were about to meet our maker." Roads were extensively damage. About 20 people were without shelter. One volunteer fireman said, "It's the worst I've seen, and I've lived here 24 years."
Along the North Fork of the Hughes River toward the community of Mountain, feeder streams flooded. Farm equipment and a barn were damaged by flood waters. Bunnell Run flooded 3 or 4 houses and a car dealership around Pennsboro. Other houses were surrounded by water. ||Near Ellenboro, 7 temporary mobile trailers and 5 vehicles in a recreational vehicle park were damaged by flooding along Hushers Run. One resident described waking up and wading through 2 to 3 feet of water to reach safety.||Around 5 people were evacuated in the county.
The cooperative observer at Auburn measured 3.5 inches of rain in less than 4 hours. Creeks such as Bone and Spruce flooded roads and homes. The American Red Cross surveyed 7 single family homes with major damage. One mobile home was destroyed. One mobile home was destroyed. Private bridges were also damaged.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Ritchie County, West Virginia?
41 flash flood events are recorded in Ritchie County between 1996 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Ritchie County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Ritchie County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Ritchie County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Ritchie County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/ritchie-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.