Randolph County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 260 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,045 nationally and #27 in West Virginia.
260
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$6.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Randolph County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Randolph County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 73 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 221 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Randolph County, West Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $3.8M 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 Randolph County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $2.2M | 62 | 1962–2025 |
| Hail | 57 | 0 | $36K | 2 | 1955–2024 |
| Flood | 45 | 0 | $208K | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 2 | $3.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $278K | F2 | 1957–1980 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Randolph 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: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-07-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-21 | EF0 | 0 | 3 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Randolph County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 1996 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $1.5M |
| May 22, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| May 6, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Apr 10, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding led to several roads being closed overnight in the Harman area, causing infrastructure damage throughout the town. The local water and sewage plant were significantly impacted and knocked offline. Numerous roads and culverts were washed out and several homes and trailers were pushed off their foundations. In total, 13 homes were damaged. Three of them were rendered uninhabitable. Sewer lines in Harman were also washed out. Many water rescues were conducted. Across the Monongahela National Forest, 68 miles of train track were damaged.
Hundreds of trees were blown down in scattered locations throughout the county. Motorists were stranded along Route 250 by fallen trees. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $150,000. On the order of 19,000 customers were without electricity.||In the aftermath, there was 1 indirect death. A 71 year old woman of Gilman died because of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator at her home. Her dog was also killed. The generator had been set up in the garage.
The most serious damage was within the city limits. Damage was consistent with straight line winds. Seventeen structures were damaged to some degree. The damage ranged from trees blown into homes and asphalt shingles blown off roofs, to the entire roof torn off the Veterans of Foreign Wars building. ||Maximum wind gusts were estimated at around 70 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,576
Population (ACS)
$145K
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 |
| Aug 2, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jun 25, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Randolph County, West Virginia?
260 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Randolph County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 111 recorded events — 42.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Randolph County?
4 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Randolph County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Randolph County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Randolph County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Randolph County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 57 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Randolph 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
- Raleigh County 388
- Ritchie County 234
- Putnam County 474
- Roane County 227
- Preston County 457
- Summers County 178
Cite this page
“Randolph County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/randolph-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.