County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Wood County, West Virginia Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

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 628 storm events on record for Wood County, West Virginia, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a flash flood event on 18 Jun 2026.

FEMA has 18 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is EM-3639 of 24 Jan 2026.

OpenFEMA has 947 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $13 million on these claims.

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 .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Wood County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Wood County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail111303617
Tornado10221
Flood93112647
Wind2673747117
Winter6092123
Other event types87Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events628119144218

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 173 of the 628 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Wood County beside the total of the counties of West Virginia and of the United States
MeasureWoodAll counties of West VirginiaAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 2026171.4110.449.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 202675.1148.852.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025298.9351.8185.3

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. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Flash Flood

2 miles WSW of BOREMAN

Flash Flood

2 miles SW of BOREMAN

Flash Flood

1 mile SE of STEWART ARPT. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Flash Flood

2 miles NNW of LUBECK

Thunderstorm Wind52 mph (45 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile SW of VIENNA. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile W of VALLEY MILLS. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

At WALKER. Damage estimate: $3 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

At WILLIAMSTOWN. Damage estimate: $3 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind52 mph (45 knots, estimated gust)

At BELLEVILLE. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Drought

On record for the forecast zone

Flash Flood

2 miles WSW of VALLEY MILLS

Flash Flood

1 mile SSE of STEWART ARPT

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

At WILLIAMSTOWN

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

At MURPHYTOWN. Damage estimate: $500

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of PARKERSBURG. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile ESE of WASHINGTON. Damage estimate: $2 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile ESE of DALLISON. Damage estimate: $500

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of PARKERSBURG. Damage estimate: $5 thousand

Thunderstorm Wind58 mph (50 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile E of PARKERSBURG. Damage estimate: $10 thousand

Hail1.50 in, ping-pong ball size

At WILLIAMSTOWN

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

1 mile N of PARKERSBURG

Hail1.50 in, ping-pong ball size

1 mile W of WILLIAMSTOWN

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

At WILLIAMSTOWN

Winter Weather

On record for the forecast zone

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Wood County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s11000010104
1960s030201122314
1970s013234210016
1980s202240302217
1990s3311542323171696
2000s171215131176101513119
2010s111714913201418820144
2020s13132626406436 (part of the year)218

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 18 disaster declarations on record for Wood County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is EM-3639: SEVERE WINTER STORM.

Disaster declarations that name Wood County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
EM-3639EmergencyWinter StormSEVERE WINTER STORMPublic
DR-4787Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESIndividual
DR-4517Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3450EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-4359Major disasterMud/LandslideSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
DR-4236Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
DR-4210Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE WINTER STORM, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDESPublic
EM-3358EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE SANDYPublic
DR-4071Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDSIndividual, Public
EM-3345EmergencySevere StormSEVERE STORMSPublic
EM-3221EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
DR-1558Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDESIndividual, Public
DR-1229Major disasterSevere StormSEVERE STORMS AND FLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-1168Major disasterFloodHEAVY & WIND DRIVEN RAIN, HIGH WINDS,FLOODING,SLIDESIndividual, Public
DR-1096Major disasterFloodFLOODINGIndividual, Public
DR-1084Major disasterSnowstormBLIZZARD OF 96 (SEVERE SNOW STORM)Public
EM-3109EmergencySnowstormSEVERE SNOWFALL & WINTER STORMPublic
DR-224Major disasterFloodFLOODINGIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the West Virginia page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 947 NFIP claims on record for Wood County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $13,244,361 on 789 claims.

The county has 298.9 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 55 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 184 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.

NFIP claims in Wood County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s304575
1980s995338131001088
1990s31152056567701053354
2000s1914141821131120337
2010s28130242131072
2020s21151200 (part of the year)21

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 41 years
NFIP claims in Wood County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20241211$271,282
20235not shownnot shown
20221not shownnot shown
20211not shownnot shown
20202not shownnot shown
20183127$587,332
20171not shownnot shown
20162not shownnot shown
20152421$964,075
20133not shownnot shown
20121not shownnot shown
201185$39,664
20102not shownnot shown
20082not shownnot shown
20071not shownnot shown
20061not shownnot shown
200511395$1,353,002
2004182165$4,468,379
2003149$60,795
20024not shownnot shown
20011not shownnot shown
20001916$137,618
19993not shownnot shown
199810589$1,411,764
19977065$835,548
19966760$1,030,473
19955not shownnot shown
19945649$699,379
19922not shownnot shown
19911512$90,702
19903126$360,248
1989107$58,520
19861not shownnot shown
1985137$16,555
19843826$184,789
19833not shownnot shown
19825not shownnot shown
198197$24,100
198095$22,794
19794541$180,420
19783022$72,975

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 126 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Relatively Low
Risk Index score
79.8 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Relatively Low
Expected Annual Loss
$37 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively Moderate
Community Resilience rating
Very High
National Risk Index of Wood County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
Cold waveVery Low$146,318
DroughtVery Low$16,167
EarthquakeVery Low$291,415
HailRelatively Low$315,433
Heat waveRelatively Low$717,398
HurricaneRelatively Low$187,562
Ice stormRelatively Moderate$241,622
Inland floodingRelatively Moderate$33,065,029
LandslideRelatively Low$33,909
LightningRelatively Moderate$551,602
Strong windRelatively Moderate$682,045
TornadoRelatively Low$533,996
WildfireVery Low$10,007
Winter weatherRelatively Low$30,778

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 7 tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 7 tracks
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Wood County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Opal199598 miles46 mph
Hugo198951 miles46 mph
Frederic197934 miles40 mph
Audrey195735 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm193490 miles46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm191585 miles40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm188813 miles52 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Wood County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 3 more ZIP Codes have fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Blennerhassett
  • Boaz
  • Kanawha
  • Lubeck
  • Mineralwells
  • North Hills
  • Parkersburg
  • Vienna
  • Washington
  • Waverly
  • Williamstown

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Wood County, West Virginia: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/wv/wood/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Wood County?
NCEI has 10 tornado events on record for Wood County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 3 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Wood County?
NCEI has 111 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 20 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Wood County?
June has 107 of the 628 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Wood County?
The county has 298.9 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 55 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 184 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.