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Hardy County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 233 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,226 nationally and #31 in West Virginia.
233
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$11.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Hardy County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hardy County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 6 events fall before 1990 and 227 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 $10.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hardy County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 151 | 0 | $1.2M | 70 | 1970–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $10.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Hail | 24 | 0 | $2K | 1.75 | 1962–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
Decade by decade
Hardy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hardy County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Sep 19, 2003 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | $300K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A couple dozen trees were uprooted and snapped in the Wardensville area. Trees and wires blew down on Dogwood Hollow Road. A large tree blew down onto power lines near the intersection of WV-259 East Main Street and US-48/WV-55 Corridor H. The gutter was torn off a house nearby.
Several trees blew down near the intersection of US-220/WV-28 Purgitsville Pike and Reynolds Gap Road. A few trees blew down near the intersection of US-220/WV-28 Purgitsville Pike and CR-2 Old Fields Road. A large tree blew down near the intersection of CR-6 Trough Road and Clover Drive.
The South Branch Potomac River exceeded its banks in the Moorefield area. Seven people who were camping did not move away from the river in time and had to be rescued out of 4-5 feet of water during the afternoon of the 16th. Damage occurred to the campers and cars that were in the area as the water rose. Additionally, portions of Cunningham Road and Trough Road were closed due to the flooding of the river.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,243
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Jul 12, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Jul 23, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hardy County, West Virginia?
233 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hardy County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 151 recorded events — 64.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hardy 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 Hardy County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hardy County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hardy County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hardy County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hardy 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
- Hancock County 232
- Harrison County 446
- Hampshire County 329
- Jackson County 276
- Greenbrier County 475
- Jefferson County 401
Cite this page
“Hardy County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/hardy-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.