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Wood County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 446 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,075 nationally and #7 in West Virginia.
446
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
33
Direct injuries
$16.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Wood County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wood County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 395 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wood County, West Virginia record is flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $6.4M 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 Wood County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 228 | 0 | $6.4M | 83 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 111 | 0 | $1.2M | 2.75 | 1967–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 47 | 0 | $5.2M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 35 | 4 | $288K | 0 | 2010–2026 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $3.0M | F2 | 1950–2024 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $214K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2017 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Wood 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
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-09-16 | EF3 | 1 | 16 | 9.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-01-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-09 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wood County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 12, 2018 | Flood | MARRTOWN | 2 | 0 | $5K |
| Sep 17, 2010 | Tornado | HUMPHREY | 1 | 10 | $1.0M |
| Apr 14, 2024 | Flood | CEDAR GROVE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2024 | Flood | CEDAR GROVE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 17, 2017 | Heavy Rain | LUBECK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 11, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 10, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | PARKERSBURG | 0 | 3 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were flooded across northern Wood County. Worthington Creek came out of its banks east of Parkersburg closing the intersection of Core Road and 36th Street. Old St. Marys Pike was also closed due to flooding on Worthington Creek. Water from Carpenter Run closed portions of Waverly Road near Waverly. ||About 6 miles northeast of Parkersburg, a vehicle became stranded on Laurel Creek Road while trying to drive through high water from Laurel Creek. The SUV was washed into the creek before first responders arrived. There were two people in the vehicle, a father and daughter. Neither of them were able to escape the flood waters. Their bodies were found many hours later, after the water levels receded.
Numerous trees and large branches were blown down in scattered locations throughout the county. A man was seriously injured in Parkersburg. A tree fell onto his car, while it was parked at 16th and Latrobe Streets. Four rental units were destroyed in the county. Four dwellings had major damage and 5 others had minor damage. Over 42,000 customers were without electricity in the county. The county fair grounds had 10 permanent structures damaged, mostly to their roofs. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $360,000.
Around 65 homes had some degree of flooding around Mineralwells according to state and county emergency officials. The American Red Cross surveyed 24 apartments, 14 mobile homes, and about 24 homes damaged. The Mount Pleasant Estates subdivision had water reaching some car windows. Some residents went to their roof tops to ride out the high water. Water was also up to the windows of an apartment complex. The waters from Little Tygart Creek completely cut through Lincolnshire Street and washed out a culvert. A travel trailer at the fair grounds was lifted up by the flood waters and started to float. Its occupant tried to climb onto its roof, but was unharmed when the trailer ran aground. A car was submerged along Route 14.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
83,407
Population (ACS)
$159K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 24, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | 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 |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Parkersburg 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wood County, West Virginia?
446 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $16.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wood County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 228 recorded events — 51.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wood County?
9 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 Wood County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wood County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wood County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wood County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wood 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
- Wirt County 107
- Wyoming County 223
- Wetzel County 200
- Webster County 197
- Wayne County 366
- Upshur County 280
Cite this page
“Wood County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/wood-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.