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Putnam County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 474 recorded events between 1969 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #967 nationally and #4 in West Virginia.
474
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$14.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Putnam County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Putnam County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 213 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 464 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Putnam County, West Virginia record is heavy rain, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.0M 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 Putnam County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 262 | 0 | $4.0M | 70 | 1976–2026 |
| Hail | 96 | 0 | $825K | 3.25 | 1983–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 63 | 0 | $7.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 36 | 0 | $384K | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $157K | F1 | 1969–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 2014–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 1 | $200K | 0 | 2001–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Putnam 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
8 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-08-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-12-08 | EF0 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Putnam County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2013 | Heavy Rain | ROBERTSBURG | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2013 | Heavy Rain | SCARY | 0 | 9 | $200K |
| May 22, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | MT VERNON | 0 | 2 | $125K |
| Dec 8, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 63 year old man drowned, after falling into Bear Branch, a small tributary to Eighteen Mile Creek east of Buffalo. He was removing debris from the stream around a bridge. The creek was swollen from over an inch of rain during the afternoon.
Following about three inches of rain in under three hours, flash flooding along Scary Creek, Hurricane Creek, Crooked Creek and Poplar Fork lead to significant flooding of roads, homes and businesses in the Teays Valley and Scott Depot areas. Especially hard hit were the areas of Beechwood Estates, Maplewood Estates and Barrington Woods. All sit right along Poplar Fork. Five water rescues were performed in eastern Putnam County, this includes three separate vehicles that drove into high water. About 80 houses were damaged by the flooding, with five sustaining major damage. Two businesses sustained damage, the Scott Depot Post Office and a karate studio. Eight vehicles were destroyed, and another 10 had some water damage.
Numerous trees and large branches were blown down in the county. Over 23,000 customers lost electricity. Two homes were destroyed and 3 others had major damage. The roof to a career and technical center was damage. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $218,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
57,177
Population (ACS)
$223K
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 |
| May 13, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hurricane 173
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Putnam County, West Virginia?
474 events are on record between 1969 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $14.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Putnam County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 262 recorded events — 55.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Putnam County?
8 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 Putnam County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Putnam County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Putnam County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Putnam County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Putnam 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
- Preston County 457
- Raleigh County 388
- Pocahontas County 143
- Randolph County 260
- Pleasants County 91
- Ritchie County 234
Cite this page
“Putnam County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/putnam-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.