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Lincoln County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 299 recorded events between 1972 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,788 nationally and #17 in West Virginia.
299
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$9.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Lincoln County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lincoln County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 98 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 292 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lincoln County, West Virginia record is heavy rain, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $5.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lincoln County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 130 | 0 | $1.6M | 61 | 1981–2026 |
| Hail | 53 | 0 | $35K | 2 | 1979–2025 |
| Flood | 53 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 52 | 0 | $5.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $585K | F1 | 1972–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 1 | $3K | 0 | 2001–2015 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2014–2014 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Lincoln 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
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-02 | EF3 | 10 | 118 | 85.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-03-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lincoln County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2015 | Heavy Rain | HARTS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRIFFITHSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
During the night, a car with 4 occupants attempted to drive through a natural stream crossing off of Route 19 near Harts. A few mobile homes were located on the opposite side. The stream was Big Harts Creek. The stream was swollen, but still well within its bank. No flooding was occurring.||The car got stuck in the stream bed. Everyone made it to safety. State Police said 2 individuals went back to the car to get some items out. Both were swept away by the water. One was rescued. The body of a 48 year old female was found after dawn, about a mile down stream.
Twenty-five homes were damaged and two were destroyed entirely in West Hamlin due to flooding. Fifty families were trapped in their homes due to a washed out culvert. The high water damaged the water tower pumps with drinking water becoming unavailable. Route 3 and Route 10 were covered in two feet of water. Water then quickly receded after 9 PM.
Small streams flooded by early afternoon. One example, was Green Shoals Branch flooding its adjacent road near Harts. In the same vicinity, Big Harts Creek also flooded roads. ||The Guyandotte, the Mud, and the Coal Rivers continued to cause flooding of roads through most of the 5th. Several roads and culverts were damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,902
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
39
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Feb 26, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 24, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 22, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 20, 2021 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 13, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lincoln County, West Virginia?
299 events are on record between 1972 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lincoln County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 130 recorded events — 43.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lincoln County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lincoln County?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lincoln County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lincoln County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lincoln County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 60 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lincoln 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
- Lewis County 235
- Logan County 277
- Kanawha County 987
- McDowell County 272
- Jefferson County 401
- Marion County 367
Cite this page
“Lincoln County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/lincoln-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.