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Braxton County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 214 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,356 nationally and #35 in West Virginia.
214
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$6.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Braxton County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Braxton County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 54 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 203 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $3.3M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Braxton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 114 | 0 | $1.6M | 61 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $1.6M | 3 | 1980–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $453K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $3K | F0 | 1991–1991 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Braxton County, West Virginia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-04-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Braxton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | CENTRALIA | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| May 18, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Frametown | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Apr 9, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and large branches were blown down. The airport near Flatwoods recorded a gust to 53 mph, but higher gusts were likely in the county. One house had minor damage and 1 other had minor damage. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $236,000.
Roads were flooded, damaged, and closed around Sutton, including Route 4 along Granny Creek. Centralia Road was heavily damaged and undermined in sections by the Left Fork and Spruce Fork. Residents along Centralia Road lost water when a water pipe was exposed. A water rescue also took place from a vehicle stalled in flood waters. Even the water on downtown streets in Sutton was 6 to 12 inches deep. Culverts were washed out and numerous road closures occurred around Little Birch. ||Many campgrounds in the headwaters of Sutton Lake were flooded. Yet, that was by design. Runoff was stored behind the dam, causing the lake elevation to rise several feet.
Rains of 2.5 to 3.5 inches of rain fell. Rosedale reported 2.7 inches of rain, while Sutton measured 2.6 inches. Evacuations took place in Newville and near Flatwoods. Water was in homes and blocking roads. Some roads and culverts were washed out. Damage assessment counted 17 homes with major damage in the county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,208
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 25, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 18, 2015 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Braxton County, West Virginia?
214 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Braxton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 114 recorded events — 53.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Braxton County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Braxton County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Braxton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Braxton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Braxton County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Braxton County, West Virginia severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Boone County 310
- Brooke County 198
- Berkeley County 484
- Cabell County 391
- Barbour County 213
- Calhoun County 134
Cite this page
“Braxton County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/braxton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.