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Mason County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 292 recorded events between 1968 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,823 nationally and #19 in West Virginia.
292
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Mason County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mason County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 89 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 276 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mason County, West Virginia record is heavy rain, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $2.0M 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 Mason County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 160 | 0 | $2.0M | 56 | 1968–2026 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $710K | 2.75 | 1983–2025 |
| Flood | 36 | 0 | $212K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $86K | F1 | 1970–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 2 | $400K | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $98K | 0 | 2009–2016 |
Decade by decade
Mason 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
4 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mason County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2013 | Heavy Rain | ELMWOOD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 5, 1996 | Heavy Rain | POINT PLEASANT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | Tornado | APPLE GROVE | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 50 year old woman drowned, while attempting to walk across a swollen small stream, called Beech Fork. It was dark, around 2100E. She was going to work at a juvenile center. She had to cross the stream to get to her vehicle. She had left her vehicle on higher ground, knowing the stream would be flowing above normal levels. Apparently, the force of the water was too much and carried her away. Her body was found 6 hours later about 100 yards from her home.
Numerous trees and large branches were blown down. Electricity was lost to about 13,700 customers. Three houses were destroyed, 5 had major damage, and 3 had minor damage. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $160,000.
A small 25 to 30 foot bridge over Potter Creek along County Route 12 was damaged. The section of the bridge that was damaged was built in 1950. ||The heavy rains on the 13th and the swollen waters of Potter Creek caused the road surface over the bridge to sag on the 14th. The road was closed during the evening of the 14th.||The stream did not flood over the bridge. According to highway engineers the water level rose to about two-thirds the way up the abutments. The water scoured, or undercut, the foundations of the abutments. The whole bridge was scheduled to be replaced.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,043
Population (ACS)
$120K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 13, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Mud/Landslide | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jul 26, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mason County, West Virginia?
292 events are on record between 1968 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $4.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mason County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 160 recorded events — 54.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mason County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mason County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mason County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mason County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mason County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 57 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mason 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
- Marshall County 296
- Mercer County 341
- Marion County 367
- Mineral County 207
- McDowell County 272
- Mingo County 271
Cite this page
“Mason County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/mason-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.