Preston County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 457 recorded events between 1964 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,032 nationally and #6 in West Virginia.
457
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
30
Direct injuries
$11.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Preston County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Preston County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 7.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 139 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 434 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Preston County, West Virginia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.3M 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 Preston County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 268 | 1 | $1.8M | 87 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 81 | 0 | $141K | 2.5 | 1975–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 72 | 0 | $538K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $320K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $8.3M | F3 | 1964–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $374K | 0 | 1996–1998 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Preston 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
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-06-03 | EF3 | 0 | 19 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Preston County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | REDHILL | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 20, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 21, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | MASONTOWN | 0 | 2 | $55K |
| Apr 10, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 8, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | KINGWOOD | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jul 8, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | CUZZART | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| May 31, 2008 | Tornado | ARR | 0 | 1 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One man was killed and two were injured when a tree fell on them while on a kayaking trip near Seven Islands on the Cheat River. Story reported here: https://www.wvnews.com/prestoncountynews/news/kayaker-who-died-on-cheat-river-identified/article_23cdb16e-5aeb-5a46-90b5-6eedca78115c.html.
A storm survey performed by the National Weather Service preliminarily confirmed an EF1 tornado, with maximum winds of 90 MPH, occurred in southeast Fayette County and northeast Preston County near Fike Run.||After the tornado crossed into West Virginia, the worst damage was located just off of Mason Dixon drive. There were over 200 downed hardwood tress on both sides of the road along nearly the entire length. A roof was blown off a detached garage and a tree fell on a car crushing the roof. A trampoline was places thirty feet on top of a tree. The damage across state route 26 was consistent with straight line wind as the storm bowed out.
Strong thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall, which caused flooding in the towns of Newburg and Tunnelton. Approximately 30 homes reported basement flooding, and a mudslide above the former Newburg School damaged another home. Several roads in the area were closed from the flooding, and a one-lane bridge on a dirt road off SR 92 was washed out.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,160
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 22, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 2, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Mud/Landslide | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Preston County, West Virginia?
457 events are on record between 1964 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $11.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Preston County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 268 recorded events — 58.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Preston County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Preston County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Preston County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Preston County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Preston County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Preston 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
- Pocahontas County 143
- Putnam County 474
- Pleasants County 91
- Raleigh County 388
- Pendleton County 160
- Randolph County 260
Cite this page
“Preston County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/preston-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.