States › West Virginia › Fayette County

Fayette County, West Virginia

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 54019 · 39,927 residents (2021) · 662 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 78Tornado · 5Flood · 59Wind · 157Winter · 85

Fayette County within West Virginia. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Fayette County, West Virginia, has 467 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 70.6 events per 100 square miles, below the West Virginia figure of 124.4, and 117.0 per 10,000 residents against 167.7 statewide.

12 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 4 deaths and 30 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $79M.

FEMA has designated the county in 25 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 24 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 298 claims since 1978, of which 244 were paid, totalling $3.2M (about $13K per paid claim). FEMA counts 88 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($14M a year across 18 hazards).

7 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

12events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

467events since 19504 deaths, 30 injuries recorded

25disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

298NFIP flood claims$3.2M paid

Compared with West Virginia and the United States

Measure	Fayette County	West Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	467	29,901	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	70.6	124.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	117.0	167.7	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	12	1,790	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	4	153	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$79M	$1.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	7.5	15.7	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$13K	$16K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	29.5	23.2	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Wind: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 1Wind: 2

Tornado: 1

Hail: 2Wind: 3

Hail: 15Tornado: 1Flood: 4Wind: 24Winter: 16Heat: 11Cold: 14Drought: 7Wildfire: 1Lightning: 1Other: 1

Hail: 28Flood: 14Wind: 45Winter: 33Heat: 10Cold: 11Drought: 5Wildfire: 1Lightning: 1Other: 12

Hail: 25Flood: 16Wind: 32Winter: 36Cold: 5Wildfire: 1Lightning: 1Other: 1

Hail: 7Tornado: 2Flood: 25Wind: 50

11950s41960s11970s51980s951990s1602000s1172010s842020s

Recorded events in Fayette County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 241 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 207 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind157

Winter85

Hail78

Flood59

Cold30

Heat21

Other14

Drought12

Tornado5

Wildfire3

Lightning3

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	157	—	1.5%	detail
■ Winter	85	—	1.2%	detail
■ Hail	78	—	2.5%	detail
■ Flood	59	1	1.4%	detail
■ Cold	30	—	1.5%
■ Heat	21	—	2.3%
■ Other	14	1	2.5%
■ Drought	12	—	1.3%
■ Tornado	5	1	2.6%
■ Wildfire	3	—	9.4%
■ Lightning	3	1	3.1%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
4 Apr 1974	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	1	8	County
1 Jun 2015	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	2	County
16 Feb 2023	Flood	Flood	—	$2K	—	1	—	County
27 May 2000	Heavy Rain	Other	—	—	—	1	—	County
24 Oct 1992	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	10	County
13 Mar 2003	Lightning	Lightning	—	$16K	—	—	8	County
8 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$47M	—	—	—	County
2 Apr 2024	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$100K	—	—	1	County
23 Jun 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	1	County
15 Aug 2022	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$9.0M	—	—	—	County
27 Jan 1998	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Jun 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	70 mph	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
23 Jun 2016	Flood	Flood	—	$2.0M	—	—	—	County
3 Feb 1998	Winter Storm	Winter	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
26 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
13 Mar 2010	Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 2012	Blizzard	Winter	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
23 Jun 2016	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
26 Jul 2004	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$900K	—	—	—	County
18 Dec 2009	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$800K	—	—	—	Forecast zone

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Jan 2026	EM-3639	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
22 May 2024	DR-4783	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance
28 Nov 2022	DR-4679	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
3 Apr 2020	DR-4517	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3450	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
25 Jun 2016	DR-4273	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
31 Mar 2015	DR-4210	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
27 Nov 2012	DR-4093	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
29 Oct 2012	EM-3358	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
23 Jul 2012	DR-4071	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Jun 2012	EM-3345	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms	Public assistance
29 Mar 2010	DR-1893	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
2 Mar 2010	DR-1881	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3221	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
6 Aug 2004	DR-1536	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance
7 Jun 2004	DR-1522	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance
21 Nov 2003	DR-1500	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Mar 2003	DR-1455	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding And Landslides	Individual assistance
3 Jun 2001	DR-1378	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1084	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
17 Mar 1993	EM-3109	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm	Public assistance
15 Aug 1980	DR-628	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance
19 Jan 1977	EM-3021	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
11 Apr 1974	DR-426	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance
13 Mar 1967	DR-224	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Fayette County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978298

Paid claims244

Total paid$3.2M

Average paid claim$13K

Repetitive-loss properties280 severe

Residential policies in force880.6% of 15,135 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	3	1	$8,454	$8,454
2025	1	1	$10,070	$10,070
2022	14	13	$572,836	$44,064
2020	4	4	$51,173	$12,793
2019	1	0	$0	—
2018	2	1	$799	$799
2017	1	1	$2,183	$2,183
2016	21	16	$746,613	$46,663
2015	5	3	$18,397	$6,132
2013	1	1	$5,104	$5,104
2012	2	0	$0	—
2011	1	1	$4,137	$4,137
2010	54	48	$584,051	$12,168
2009	7	7	$61,390	$8,770
2007	2	1	$1,999	$1,999
2005	1	0	$0	—
2004	4	3	$6,083	$2,028
2003	28	24	$90,478	$3,770
2002	1	1	$649	$649
2001	80	72	$842,748	$11,705
1998	2	2	$11,479	$5,739
1996	8	5	$18,891	$3,778
1995	1	0	$0	—
1994	1	1	$8,156	$8,156
1992	1	1	$10,064	$10,064

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 53.4 of 100

Expected annual loss$14MVery Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Low	$12,084,524
Lightning	Relatively High	$1,036,151
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$314,684
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$284,642
Earthquake	Very Low	$250,910
Hail	Very Low	$97,040
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$76,740
Tornado	Very Low	$60,230
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$51,870
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$42,098
Wildfire	Very Low	$37,457
Hurricane	Very Low	$28,795
Heat wave	Very Low	$18,732
Avalanche	Relatively Low	$18,706
Drought	Very Low	$2,004

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles7

Tracks within 50 miles0

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Hugo	1989	51 mi	46 mph
David	1979	92 mi	46 mph
Audrey	1957	95 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	54 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	64 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	72 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	88 mi	52 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

25880 65
25846 38
25904 22
25917 20
25118 15
25901 12
26680 11
25036 10
25085 10
25152 10
25136 8
25186 8
25976 8
25840 7
25119 5
25161 5
25879 5
25907 5
26656 5
26690 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Fayette County, WV?

NCEI records 78 hail events in Fayette County since 1950, in 27 different years; that is about 1.0 recorded events a year. 8 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Fayette County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 5 tornadoes in Fayette County since 1950, 4 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Fayette County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 25 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Fayette County, and how much was paid?

298 NFIP claims since 1978, 244 of them paid, for $3.2M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Fayette County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Very Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Fayette County compare with the rest of West Virginia?

70.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 124.4 statewide, and 7.5 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 15.7. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.