States › West Virginia › McDowell County

McDowell 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 54047 · 18,363 residents (2021) · 533 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 67Tornado · 2Flood · 67Wind · 171Winter · 86

McDowell 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.

McDowell County, West Virginia, has 473 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.

That is 88.7 events per 100 square miles, below the West Virginia figure of 124.4, and 257.6 per 10,000 residents against 167.7 statewide.

32 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 8 deaths and 1 injury to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $162M.

FEMA has designated the county in 27 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 1,050 claims since 1978, of which 813 were paid, totalling $9.7M (about $12K per paid claim). FEMA counts 422 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" ($21M 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.

32events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

473events since 19508 deaths, 1 injury recorded

27disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

1,050NFIP flood claims$9.7M paid

Compared with West Virginia and the United States

Measure	McDowell County	West Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	473	29,901	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	88.7	124.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	257.6	167.7	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	32	1,790	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	8	153	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$162M	$1.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	57.2	15.7	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$12K	$16K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	16.4	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: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 4

Hail: 3Wind: 6

Hail: 9Flood: 4Wind: 13Winter: 16Heat: 8Cold: 12Drought: 6Wildfire: 1Other: 3

Hail: 26Flood: 13Wind: 31Winter: 16Heat: 9Cold: 11Drought: 4Wildfire: 2Other: 6

Hail: 28Flood: 19Wind: 46Winter: 27Heat: 2Cold: 4Lightning: 1

Flood: 31Wind: 71Winter: 27Cold: 2Drought: 8Other: 1

01950s01960s71970s91980s721990s1182000s1272010s1402020s

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

Trend: 288 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 146 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

Wind171

Winter86

Hail67

Flood67

Cold29

Heat19

Drought18

Other10

Wildfire3

Tornado2

Lightning1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	171	1	1.7%	detail
■ Winter	86	—	1.2%	detail
■ Hail	67	—	2.1%	detail
■ Flood	67	6	1.6%	detail
■ Cold	29	1	1.5%
■ Heat	19	—	2.1%
■ Drought	18	—	2.0%
■ Other	10	—	1.8%
■ Wildfire	3	—	9.4%
■ Tornado	2	—	1.0%
■ Lightning	1	—	1.0%

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
15 Feb 2025	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	3	—	County
2 May 2002	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$85M	—	2	—	County
11 Feb 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$250K	—	1	—	County
29 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$150K	—	1	—	County
23 Jan 2005	Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	—	—	1	—	Forecast zone
8 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$50M	—	—	—	County
27 Jan 1998	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$2.0M	—	—	1	Forecast zone
15 Feb 2025	Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	County
9 May 2009	Flood	Flood	—	$4.0M	—	—	—	County
4 Apr 1974	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$2.5M	—	—	—	County
12 Jun 2010	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.5M	—	—	—	County
12 Jul 2022	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$1.0M	—	—	—	County
18 Dec 2009	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$750K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Jun 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$750K	—	—	—	County
19 Nov 2003	Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
5 Jun 2014	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$475K	—	—	—	County
15 May 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$400K	—	—	—	County
4 Mar 2015	Flood	Flood	—	$350K	—	—	—	County
29 Jun 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$250K	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 2012	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$250K	—	—	—	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
26 Feb 2025	DR-4861	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Nov 2022	DR-4678	Major disaster	Flood	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
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	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Jun 2012	EM-3345	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms	Public assistance
24 Jun 2010	DR-1918	Major disaster	Flood	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
15 May 2009	DR-1838	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
1 May 2007	DR-1696	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3221	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public 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
21 Jun 2003	DR-1474	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, Public assistance
5 May 2002	DR-1410	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
16 Nov 2001	FM-2391	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wv - Southeast Fire Complex - 11/16/2001	Public assistance
3 Jun 2001	DR-1378	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding And Landslides	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
15 May 1984	DR-706	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance
7 Apr 1977	DR-531	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 Aug 1972	DR-349	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & 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 McDowell County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,050

Paid claims813

Total paid$9.7M

Average paid claim$12K

Repetitive-loss properties921 severe

Residential policies in force4224.6% of 9,264 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	1	1	$5,000	$5,000
2025	60	50	$2,546,788	$50,936
2024	1	0	$0	—
2023	1	1	$597	$597
2022	2	2	$27,176	$13,588
2020	3	2	$5,344	$2,672
2019	1	0	$0	—
2015	4	4	$12,693	$3,173
2014	3	1	$3,652	$3,652
2012	4	0	$0	—
2010	54	39	$347,182	$8,902
2009	25	17	$241,888	$14,229
2008	2	1	$4,234	$4,234
2007	7	7	$85,164	$12,166
2006	1	1	$377	$377
2005	3	2	$17,220	$8,610
2004	11	8	$20,882	$2,610
2003	33	24	$75,770	$3,157
2002	319	261	$3,776,116	$14,468
2001	125	108	$1,640,264	$15,188
2000	1	0	$0	—
1998	5	2	$7,428	$3,714
1997	1	1	$23,284	$23,284
1996	21	19	$112,022	$5,896
1995	3	1	$3,790	$3,790

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 76.7 of 100

Expected annual loss$21MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$14,244,903
Cold wave	Relatively High	$4,984,289
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$578,031
Earthquake	Very Low	$235,812
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$93,680
Lightning	Relatively Low	$88,472
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$77,512
Hurricane	Very Low	$69,936
Hail	Very Low	$48,954
Tornado	Very Low	$44,256
Heat wave	Very Low	$14,786
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$14,666
Avalanche	Relatively Low	$9,649
Ice storm	Very Low	$7,116

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 miles2

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Hugo	1989	78 mi	46 mph
Gracie	1959	96 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	90 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	33 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	10 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	69 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	93 mi	40 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

24801 344
24853 94
24868 83
24813 78
24844 71
24892 62
24852 32
24808 23
24817 23
24836 20
24815 19
24850 17
24824 13
24897 12
24828 11
24872 10
24879 10
24881 10
24888 10
24884 9
24829 7
24896 7
24826 5
24832 5
24842 5
24861 5
24871 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 McDowell County, WV?

NCEI records 67 hail events in McDowell County since 1950, in 25 different years; that is about 0.9 recorded events a year. 10 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has McDowell County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 2 tornadoes in McDowell County since 1950, 0 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for McDowell County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 27 declarations since 1953.

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

1,050 NFIP claims since 1978, 813 of them paid, for $9.7M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is McDowell 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, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Very Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

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

88.7 recorded events per 100 square miles against 124.4 statewide, and 57.2 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.