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Roane County, West Virginia severe weather history spans 227 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,273 nationally and #33 in West Virginia.
227
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$12.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Roane County, West Virginia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Roane County, West Virginia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 65 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 220 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Roane County, West Virginia record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.3M 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 Roane County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 118 | 1 | $2.5M | 96 | 1967–2026 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $6K | 2.3 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 40 | 2 | $7.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 23 | 1 | $3.0M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 1 | $20K | 0 | 1999–2017 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | F1 | 1989–1989 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Roane 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
1 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Roane County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13, 2024 | Flood | SPENCER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 29, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | WELLINGTON | 1 | 0 | $500 |
| Mar 31, 2017 | Heavy Rain | MATTIE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 22, 2001 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $35K |
| Jan 21, 1999 | Flash Flood | SPENCER | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| Apr 9, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Streams overflowed and blocked county roads, plus city streets in Spencer. A 2 year old boy, playing outside at home, fell into swollen Dog Run, near Newton around 1700E. No one saw the boy fall in the stream. The stream was bankfull at the time, with no flooding at that site. The boy's body was found about 2 hours later.
A toddler was left unattended, playing along Green Creek in southern Roane County, near the community of Walton. It was believed that the young girl was swept away by the swollen creek. Rescuers found the girl a short distance downstream but were not able to resuscitate her.
Tanner Run flooded the Spencer Middle School baseball field. A fatality occurred when a man fell asleep in the dugout and was swept away. Local responders found him later that afternoon after the flood waters had receded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,786
Population (ACS)
$122K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| May 24, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 30, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Roane County, West Virginia?
227 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $12.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Roane County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 118 recorded events — 52.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Roane County?
1 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Roane County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Roane County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Roane County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Roane County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Roane 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
- Ritchie County 234
- Summers County 178
- Randolph County 260
- Taylor County 187
- Raleigh County 388
- Tucker County 165
Cite this page
“Roane County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/roane-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.