Upshur County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 280 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,898 nationally and #21 in West Virginia.
280
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Upshur County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Upshur County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 132 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 267 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.4M 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 Upshur County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 153 | 0 | $1.4M | 66 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $43K | 2 | 1975–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 37 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 30 | 0 | $365K | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2006–2010 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $300K | EF1 | 2015–2015 |
| Heavy Snow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Upshur 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
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Upshur County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 5, 2010 | Lightning | BUCKHANNON | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Apr 9, 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
Multiple trees were snapped, twisted, and broken along the path near Queens. Several buildings sustained roof and property damage. ||The National Weather Service survey team estimated the strongest wind gusts around 100 mph.
Lightning struck a petroleum container at a water treatment facility. An oil fire was ignited that caused considerable damage. Since there was a possibility of an explosion, the nearby area was evacuated. ||At the Upshur County Regional Airport, lightning struck one of the ramps. It created several holes in the asphalt. ||An elderly woman suffered minor injuries from being hit by lightning while looking out the screen door of her Gate Street home in Buckhannon.
A rain gauge on Heaston Ridge, between Arlington and Holly Grove, measured 4.5 inches of rain in a 3 to 6 hour period. Alton had 3.4 inches of rain. Six homes had major damage, 4 private bridges and 1 state bridge sustained damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,712
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Jun 25, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 Upshur County, West Virginia?
280 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Upshur County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 153 recorded events — 54.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Upshur County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Upshur County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Upshur County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Upshur County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Upshur County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Upshur 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
- Tyler County 196
- Wayne County 366
- Tucker County 165
- Webster County 197
- Taylor County 187
- Wetzel County 200
Cite this page
“Upshur County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/upshur-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.