Flood events in McDowell County, West Virginia The flood events on record, by date and by year
This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).
NCEI has 67 flood events on record for McDowell County, West Virginia, from 1996 through 30 Jun 2026.
The newest flood event on record is on 17 May 2025.
From 2016 through 2025, NCEI has 38 flood events on record for the county.
The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.
The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.
The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .
Date of the data: NCEI storm events through . Event types on this page: Flood, Flash Flood, Coastal Flood, Lakeshore Flood.
Newest flood events on record
Flood
1 mile NW of LITWAR
Flood
3 miles SSW of ROCKRIDGE
Flood
1 mile SSW of IAEGER. Damage estimate: $5.0 million
Flood
1 mile SE of AVONDALE
Flood
1 mile WSW of CAPELS
Flash Flood
1 mile WNW of KEYSTONE. Damage estimate: $5.0 million
Flood
2 miles NNE of HORSEPEN
Flood
1 mile NNW of BEARTOWN. Damage estimate: $1 thousand
Flood
2 miles NNW of CARSWELL. Damage estimate: $150
Flood
1 mile NE of CANEBRAKE. Damage estimate: $150
Flood
1 mile S of LECKIE. Damage estimate: $150
Flash Flood
1 mile NW of LITWAR. Damage estimate: $500
Flash Flood
1 mile NNW of JENKINJONES. Damage estimate: $200
Flood
1 mile E of MONSON. Damage estimate: $20 thousand
Flood
1 mile NW of BEARTOWN. Damage estimate: $2 thousand
Flash Flood
At ISABAN. Damage estimate: $100 thousand
Flash Flood
1 mile NE of PAYNESVILLE. Damage estimate: $1.0 million
Flood
1 mile W of GARLAND. Damage estimate: $2 thousand
Flood
1 mile SSW of LECKIE. Damage estimate: $1 thousand
Flash Flood
1 mile NNW of PANTHER. Damage estimate: $7 thousand
Flash Flood
1 mile NE of PANTHER. Damage estimate: $5 thousand
Flash Flood
At ALGOMA. Damage estimate: $30 thousand
Flash Flood
1 mile ESE of KYLE. Damage estimate: $3 thousand
Flood
At DAVY. Damage estimate: $3 thousand
Flood
3 miles SSE of RAYSAL. Damage estimate: $3 thousand
A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. NCEI gives no magnitude for this hazard.
Flood events by year
| Decade | Year that ends in 0 | Year that ends in 1 | Year that ends in 2 | Year that ends in 3 | Year that ends in 4 | Year that ends in 5 | Year that ends in 6 | Year that ends in 7 | Year that ends in 8 | Year that ends in 9 | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2000s | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 2010s | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| 2020s | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 0 (part of the year) | 31 |
A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.
Flood and flash flood events are on record from 1996. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.
By month, all years
- Jan5 events
- Feb13 events
- Mar5 events
- Apr6 events
- May10 events
- Jun5 events
- Jul11 events
- Aug8 events
- Sep2 events
- Oct0 events
- Nov1 event
- Dec1 event
Beside the other counties
| Measure | McDowell | All counties of West Virginia | All counties of the United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood events, 1996 to 2026 | 67 | 4,166 | 177,902 |
| Events for each 100 square miles | 12.6 | 17.3 | 5.0 |
| Events for each 10,000 residents | 36.5 | 23.4 | 5.4 |
The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. A forecast zone with another name than a county counts for the state only.
More flood events on record
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Damage estimate | Deaths | Injuries | On record for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | not recorded | $8 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $250 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $3 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $20 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $50 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $2 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $1 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $25 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $350 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $475 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $25 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $175 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $1.5 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $4.0 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $50 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $500 thousand | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| Flood | not recorded | $200 thousand | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $85 million | 2 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $150 thousand | 1 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $50 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $5 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $25 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $20 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $15 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $20 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $10 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $400 thousand | 0 | 0 | County |
The table has all other events on record. A damage figure is an estimate in the NCEI record.
Official channels
- NCEI Storm Events Database (opens in a new tab)Search the full NCEI record by state, county and date.
- National Weather Service: Charleston, WV (opens in a new tab)The forecast office that issues the weather warnings for the county.
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address (opens in a new tab)Search an address to see its flood map. This site has no flood-zone data.
These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .
Cite this page
County Hazards. "Flood events on record for McDowell County, West Virginia". https://countyhazards.com/county/wv/mcdowell/flood/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026. Page made on .
Questions
- Which month has the most flood events on record for McDowell County?
- February has 13 of the 67 flood events on record from 1996 through 30 Jun 2026.
- How many flood events are on record for West Virginia?
- NCEI has 4,166 flood events on record for West Virginia from 1996 through 30 Jun 2026. That count has every forecast zone of the state.
- How does McDowell County compare with the other counties of West Virginia?
- The counties of West Virginia have 17.3 flood events for each 100 square miles. McDowell County has 12.6.
- Why are some flood events on record for a forecast zone?
- NCEI records some event types for a National Weather Service forecast zone and not for a county. This page counts a zone event when the zone has the name of the county.