Raleigh County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 388 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,305 nationally and #11 in West Virginia.
388
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$56.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Raleigh County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Raleigh County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 351 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Raleigh County, West Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $41.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Raleigh County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 178 | 0 | $4.8M | 65 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 119 | 0 | $1.2M | 3 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 2 | $41.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 32 | 2 | $6.3M | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $2.9M | F3 | 1959–2014 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $72K | 0 | 2001–2017 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2001–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Raleigh 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
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-04 | EF3 | 1 | 11 | 32.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-10-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 12 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Raleigh County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2010 | Flood | BESOCO | 2 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Jun 1, 1997 | Flash Flood | WESTERN PORTION | 2 | 0 | $200K |
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 20, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $25K | |
| Aug 11, 2001 | Lightning | BECKLEY | 0 | 9 | $0 |
| Feb 28, 2017 | Lightning | CLEAR CREEK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 17, 2001 | Flash Flood | DRY CREEK | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| May 26, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRANDVIEW | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rains of 2.5 to 3.5 inches fell over the mountainous terrain in less than 3 hours. A coal mine along Clear Fork reported a total of 3.4 inches of rain. Flooding was most serious in the Clear Creek to Artie vicinity, including Toney Fork, Workman Creek, White Oak Creek, and Clear Fork. A 34 year old woman and a 15 year old male neighbor drowned. They were on their way home from Sunday evening church services. Within 100 yards of their homes in Artie, they slipped into White Oak Creek, when the bank gave way. Further south, near Saxon and Bolt, Breckenridge Creek washed out portions of a county road. The concentrated storms were moving from southeast to northwest, missing the larger towns in the county. For example, only a few hundredths of an inch of rain fell around Beckley.
Rains of 3 to 4 inches were common in 12 hours, most occurring in less than 6 hours. The cooperative observer in Beckley reported a 24 hour total of 5.3 inches. A spotter in Lester measured 4.3 inches, the Beckley airport had 3.5 inches, and Dry Creek had 3.1 inches of rain. Streams in the northern and western sections of the county were hit the hardest. Four families were evacuated along Beaver Creek, a few suffered extensive water damage. Water levels along the upper Clear Fork of the Big Coal River, near Artie and Clear Fork, were higher than on the 8th. Four homes along White Oak Road had water damage. A temporary bridge was destroyed near Dorothy. The bridge had just been built, after the flood on the 8th. The lower reaches of the Clear Fork near Leevale, crested 2 to 3 feet lower, compared to the flood on the 8th. The March Fork was likely higher than on the 8th. Around 1800E, Route 3 was closed near Rock Creek by that stream.
A brief EF2 tornado touched down near the community of Odd. This path is across terrain with an elevation of 2700 to 2800 feet and is just north of Flat Top Mountain. ||The maximum wind gust estimated by the survey was 125 mph.||On Route 33 a well built garage or outbuilding, with a bolted foundation, was completely destroyed. An entire couch from that building was blown across the street and wrapped around a tree. About 10 to 20 houses, including mobile homes, had minor roof and porch damage. A few barns and outbuildings were damaged. At least 2 vehicles were destroyed. A new pickup truck was smashed by a fallen tree. Another car was hit by fallen trees. One parked school bus had its front windshield broken. ||Hundreds of large healthy trees were blown down. Exposed trees were blown down or uprooted. Trees more protected by the terrain had their tops sheared off. Power outages to several hundred people occurred. Roads were closed by the fallen trees. The local telephone company had around 20 poles damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
73,195
Population (ACS)
$151K
Median home value
29
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 |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Nov 27, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Raleigh County, West Virginia?
388 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $56.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Raleigh County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 178 recorded events — 45.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Raleigh County?
8 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Raleigh County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Raleigh County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Raleigh County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Raleigh County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Raleigh 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
- Putnam County 474
- Randolph County 260
- Preston County 457
- Ritchie County 234
- Pocahontas County 143
- Roane County 227
Cite this page
“Raleigh County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/raleigh-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.