States › West Virginia › Harrison County

Harrison 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 54033 · 65,158 residents (2021) · 416 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 81Tornado · 6Flood · 137Wind · 301Winter · 77

Harrison 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.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 683 storm events in Harrison County, West Virginia, led by damaging wind.

That is 164.2 events per 100 square miles, above the West Virginia figure of 124.4, and 104.8 per 10,000 residents against 167.7 statewide.

59 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 4 deaths and 6 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $17M.

FEMA has designated the county in 24 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 786 claims since 1978, of which 638 were paid, totalling $5.7M (about $9K per paid claim). FEMA counts 162 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 "Relatively Low" ($28M a year across 18 hazards).

8 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.

59events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

683events since 19504 deaths, 6 injuries recorded

24disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

786NFIP flood claims$5.7M paid

Compared with West Virginia and the United States

Measure	Harrison County	West Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	683	29,901	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	164.2	124.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	104.8	167.7	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	59	1,790	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	4	153	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$17M	$1.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	12.1	15.7	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$9K	$16K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	24.7	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

Hail: 3Tornado: 3Wind: 11

Hail: 6Wind: 17

Hail: 7Tornado: 1Flood: 13Wind: 35Winter: 8Heat: 8Cold: 12Drought: 5Lightning: 3Other: 5

Hail: 29Flood: 23Wind: 40Winter: 15Heat: 9Cold: 12Drought: 3Other: 4

Hail: 31Tornado: 2Flood: 36Wind: 88Winter: 25Heat: 2Cold: 6Other: 1

Hail: 5Flood: 65Wind: 110Winter: 29Cold: 2Drought: 8Lightning: 1

01950s01960s171970s231980s971990s1352000s1912010s2202020s

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

Trend: 417 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 189 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

Wind301

Flood137

Hail81

Winter77

Cold32

Heat19

Drought16

Other10

Tornado6

Lightning4

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	301	1	2.9%	detail
■ Flood	137	—	3.3%	detail
■ Hail	81	—	2.6%	detail
■ Winter	77	1	1.1%	detail
■ Cold	32	—	1.6%
■ Heat	19	—	2.1%
■ Drought	16	—	1.7%
■ Other	10	1	1.8%
■ Tornado	6	—	3.1%
■ Lightning	4	1	4.2%

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 May 2009	Heavy Rain	Other	—	$7K	—	1	1	County
22 Jan 2016	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$50K	—	1	—	Forecast zone
17 Aug 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	$35K	—	1	—	County
9 Jul 1987	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	—	—	1	—	County
31 Jul 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$40K	—	—	2	County
24 May 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$600K	—	—	1	County
25 Aug 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$8K	—	—	1	County
9 Apr 1991	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	67 mph	—	—	—	1	County
29 Jun 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	64 mph	$3.5M	—	—	—	County
22 Aug 1970	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	—	County
29 Jul 2017	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.3M	—	—	—	County
3 Jun 2008	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
6 Aug 2011	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$950K	—	—	—	County
16 Jun 1998	Hail	Hail	2.75 in	$750K	—	—	—	County
29 Aug 2023	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$700K	—	—	—	County
4 Jun 2008	Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	County
29 Feb 2012	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$475K	—	—	—	County
16 May 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$300K	—	—	—	County
19 Nov 2003	Flood	Flood	—	$300K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
23 Jun 2017	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$300K	—	—	—	County

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
30 Jan 2024	DR-4756	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance, 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
17 Apr 2018	DR-4359	Major disaster	Mud/Landslide	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
18 Aug 2017	DR-4331	Major disaster	Severe Storm	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
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	Public assistance
30 Jun 2012	EM-3345	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms	Public assistance
16 Mar 2012	DR-4059	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
19 Jun 2008	DR-1769	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And	Individual assistance, Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3221	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
21 Nov 2003	DR-1500	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
21 Jun 2003	DR-1474	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance
14 Mar 2003	DR-1455	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Feb 2000	DR-1319	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding, Severe Storms, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
1 Jul 1998	DR-1229	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 May 1996	DR-1115	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding, Heavy Winds	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
7 Nov 1985	DR-753	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Aug 1980	DR-628	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public 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 Harrison County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978786

Paid claims638

Total paid$5.7M

Average paid claim$9K

Repetitive-loss properties855 severe

Residential policies in force1620.6% of 29,563 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	13	6	$134,463	$22,410
2025	1	1	$7,175	$7,175
2024	4	3	$43,170	$14,390
2023	4	4	$112,258	$28,064
2022	4	3	$24,986	$8,329
2020	1	1	$14,846	$14,846
2019	1	0	$0	—
2018	4	4	$71,826	$17,956
2017	8	7	$145,277	$20,754
2016	2	0	$0	—
2014	1	1	$28,084	$28,084
2013	4	4	$39,728	$9,932
2012	6	5	$53,968	$10,794
2011	10	6	$74,659	$12,443
2009	5	5	$8,257	$1,651
2008	45	39	$447,584	$11,477
2007	13	11	$181,216	$16,474
2004	3	2	$7,975	$3,987
2003	46	33	$181,259	$5,493
2002	1	1	$236	$236
2001	4	2	$17,774	$8,887
2000	34	26	$111,817	$4,301
1998	4	3	$17,667	$5,889
1996	80	70	$452,615	$6,466
1994	42	31	$233,907	$7,545

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 73.6 of 100

Expected annual loss$28MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceVery High

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$25,107,162
Hail	Relatively Moderate	$588,514
Tornado	Relatively Low	$588,001
Lightning	Relatively Moderate	$492,741
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$409,233
Earthquake	Very Low	$265,096
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$194,406
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$194,263
Cold wave	Very Low	$158,397
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$80,489
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$75,196
Drought	Relatively Low	$37,334
Landslide	Relatively Low	$24,932
Wildfire	Very Low	$9,418
Avalanche	Very Low	$8

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 miles8

Tracks within 50 miles3

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Isabel	2003	93 mi	58 mph
Hugo	1989	93 mi	46 mph
Frederic	1979	36 mi	40 mph
Audrey	1957	29 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	62 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	71 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	49 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1878	56 mi	58 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

26301 451
26385 88
26431 53
26330 50
26426 37
26386 30
26448 22
26302 15
26404 11
26408 11
26323 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 Harrison County, WV?

NCEI records 81 hail events in Harrison County since 1950, in 35 different years; that is about 1.1 recorded events a year. 11 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Harrison County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 6 tornadoes in Harrison County since 1950, 1 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Harrison County?

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

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

786 NFIP claims since 1978, 638 of them paid, for $5.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Harrison 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, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

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

164.2 recorded events per 100 square miles against 124.4 statewide, and 12.1 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.