McDowell County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 272 recorded events between 1974 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,950 nationally and #24 in West Virginia.
272
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$158.4M
Property damage
The record
What the McDowell County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McDowell County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 89 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 256 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McDowell County, West Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $144.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McDowell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 135 | 1 | $1.9M | 87 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $190K | 4.5 | 1977–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 6 | $144.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $9.5M | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $2.5M | F1 | 1974–1975 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
McDowell 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
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McDowell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2025 | Flash Flood | KEYSTONE | 3 | 0 | $5.0M |
| May 2, 2002 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 0 | $85.0M |
| Feb 11, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | MARYTOWN | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| Jul 29, 2001 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Major flash flooding occurred in and around Welch. Homes and businesses were surrounded by water, roads and underpasses became impassable, and cars were stranded. People became trapped in their vehicles on Riverside Drive before the Havaco bridge. In Kimball, water entered multiple homes, businesses, and cars. A vehicle with five occupants drove into floodwaters and was swept into the Tug Fork River. Two people were able to make it to safety while the other three occupants perished.
The gym roof of the Twin Branch Pentecostal Christian Academy was lifted up and shifted by the wind. The entire roof fell back down onto its cinderblock support walls. This caused the walls to collapse. Debris fell onto nearby vehicles. A 35 year old female was killed by the falling debris as she was standing in the parking lot near the building. She was attending the wake for her brother in the church across the street.||The narrow and steep valley along the Tug Fork River may have helped funnel the winds through this Twin Branch location. However, trees in the valley were not damaged.
An unsupervised 3 year old boy ended up in the swollen Jenny Branch. Jenny Branch is a small stream across from his home. The location was on the lower reaches of County Route 7/4 near Davy. The tragedy occurred around 0930-1000E. His body was found in the Tug Fork. Huff Creek in Cyclone washed out private bridges. Flooding occurred along Elkhorn Creek again, but minor, compared to the 8th. Homes in Maitland were surrounded by water from the Tug Fork. Mobile homes were flooded in Anawalt.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,943
Population (ACS)
$50K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Feb 26, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Nov 28, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 McDowell County, West Virginia?
272 events are on record between 1974 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $158.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McDowell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 135 recorded events — 49.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McDowell County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McDowell County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McDowell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McDowell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McDowell County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McDowell 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
- Logan County 277
- Marion County 367
- Lincoln County 299
- Marshall County 296
- Lewis County 235
- Mason County 292
Cite this page
“McDowell County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/mcdowell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.