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Lewis County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 235 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,215 nationally and #29 in West Virginia.
235
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$4.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Lewis County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lewis County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 217 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $2.7M 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 Lewis County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $1.3M | 87 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $236K | 2 | 1969–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $139K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Tornado | 3 | 0 | $500K | F2 | 1956–1989 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Lewis 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
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-03-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lewis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $600K |
| Mar 7, 1956 | 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
After rains of 2 to 3 inches in a time frame of 3 hours or less, small stream flooding was common west of the Interstate 79 corridor. The headwaters of Leading Creek flooded, including Fink Creek, Alum Fork, and Philips Fork. Some of the other streams that flooded included Freemans Creek, Millstone Run, and McCann Run. Communities such as Alum Bridge, Pickle Street, Vadis, Freemansburg, Valley Chapel, and Churchville were affected by the high water. A total of 27 homes were affected to some degree by the flooding. One home was destroyed. One school had 9 inches of water inside. One one church school had 3 feet of water. One post office had 18 inches of water inside. Three businesses suffered water damage. Five small private bridges were washed out or made impassible. The Red Cross aided the flood recovery for 4 days. Nine trash dumpsters were provided by the county for debris removal.
A rain gauge near Walkersville and Ireland measured 3.8 inches of rain. Damage from small stream flooding including areas around the communities of Crawford, Ireland, Wildcat, and Walkersville. Three homes were destroyed, with 41 homes sustaining minor damage. One church and 5 businesses also received water damage. One Walkersville resident had his house ripped off its foundation and moved 200 yards while he slept. He said, "When I woke up, my house was just surrounded by water. We tried to get out but couldn't. The only thing holding the house was the electric lines, but they eventually gave way." When the house stopped moving, he and his wife swam away from it. Thankfully, all the citizens across southern Lewis County were accounted for. However, a number of livestock and family pets were unable to be saved.
In Jane Lew, Hackers Creek flooded parts of the city ball park and Parkway Drive. Vadis Road also flooded along Walnut Fork near Vadis. Interstate 79 was also closed near mile maker 105 due to high water on Hackers Creek and Jesse Run.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,740
Population (ACS)
$152K
Median home value
24
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 |
| May 18, 2015 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Mar 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lewis County, West Virginia?
235 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lewis County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 123 recorded events — 52.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lewis County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lewis County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lewis County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lewis County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lewis County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lewis 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
- Kanawha County 987
- Lincoln County 299
- Jefferson County 401
- Logan County 277
- Jackson County 276
- McDowell County 272
Cite this page
“Lewis County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/lewis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.