Berkeley County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 484 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #932 nationally and #2 in West Virginia.
484
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Berkeley County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Berkeley County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 6.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 206 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 463 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $1.2M 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 Berkeley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 250 | 0 | $982K | 72 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $13K | 1.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Flood | 86 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $260K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $1.2M | F2 | 1954–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2003 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $29K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
Decade by decade
Berkeley 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
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-07-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Berkeley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2004 | Tornado | DARKESVILLE | 0 | 6 | $25K |
| Oct 3, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down near Route 9 and Benspeck Road, a 0.25 of a mile west of Hedgesville. The tornado damaged three homes partially destroying one. It destroyed a shed and uprooted some large pine trees. The path length was estimated at 2 miles long and 100 yards wide.
Staff from the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office conducted a ground survey of storm damage in Inwood WV that occurred on Wednesday afternoon, June 5, 2024. NWS Doppler Radar in Sterling, Virginia showed|a rotating severe thunderstorm that developed a tornado. The tornado touched down south/southeast of Inwood in a field where tall grass could be seen disturbed in a rotating pattern. The tornado proceeded to move north across a cow pasture where a line of trees contained tree damage with large branches broken off. The tornado then tracked north across the field, where additional tree damage and shingle damage occurred along Emery Lane. The tornado continued north towards Lucy Drive where gutter damage and additional tree damage occurred. The tornado then crossed Lucy Drive where large tree branches were broken off. It is believed that the tornado lifted before reaching Middleway Pike as no further damage was observed past that point.
A severe thunderstorm moved across portions of Berkeley County, WV, and caused damages in the Bunker Hill area. One large tree was uprooted on Giles Mill Road, with several smaller branches downed as well. A semi-truck trailer was overturned near the Interstate 81 interchange during this storm. A church steeple was damaged on Runnymead Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
129,514
Population (ACS)
$266K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | HURRICANE SANDY | EM |
| Jul 23, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Martinsburg 134
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Berkeley County, West Virginia?
484 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Berkeley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 250 recorded events — 51.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Berkeley County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Berkeley County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Berkeley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Berkeley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Berkeley County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Berkeley 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
- Barbour County 213
- Boone County 310
- Braxton County 214
- Brooke County 198
- Cabell County 391
- Calhoun County 134
Cite this page
“Berkeley County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/berkeley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.