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Jefferson County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 401 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,250 nationally and #9 in West Virginia.
401
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$3.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 146 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 391 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, West Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 243 | 2 | $1.4M | 74 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $10K | 2.75 | 1975–2025 |
| Flood | 55 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $287K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $653K | F2 | 1965–2024 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $833K | 0 | 1996–2006 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson 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
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-11-16 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-03 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | ALDRIDGE | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| May 14, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLOOMERY | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Nov 16, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 3, 2021 | Tornado | CHARLES TOWN | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| May 13, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BAR DANE | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| Sep 30, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $40K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Intense lightning occurred with a batch of strong thunderstorms as they moved across the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Newspaper reports indicated several house fires in Jefferson County, with extensive property damage. A few trees were also damaged due to the intense lightning strikes. The times listed are estimated.
Information gathered in local newspaper reports indicated that a farm sustained significant damage due to severe level thunderstorm winds overnight. Wooden foundation beams were destroyed and blown down with significant damages to farm equipment and outbuildings. The farm was located near Kabletown, WV.
An NWS storm survey observed significant damage in the Kabletown area. Numerous trees and outbuildings were destroyed. A 40 foot by 40 foot concrete block of a barn and tractor shed was destroyed. A roof was blown off and deposited nearly 80 feet away. Another nearby barn roof was blown off and deposited 100 feet away. A third barn completely collapsed, killing 6 cattle inside. Farms were located near Old Shennandale Road off Kabletown Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
59,260
Population (ACS)
$351K
Median home value
19
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 Jefferson County, West Virginia?
401 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $3.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 243 recorded events — 60.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jefferson County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Jackson County 276
- Kanawha County 987
- Harrison County 446
- Lewis County 235
- Hardy County 233
- Lincoln County 299
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.