County Hazards

States › West Virginia › 1997

West Virginia, 1997

The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.

784events recorded867 in 1996
8deaths recorded5 injuries
$20Mproperty damage (estimates)$22M crop damage
1disaster declarations769 NFIP claims, $8.3M paid
← 19961998 →

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.

Events by hazard

Cold246
Wind147
Winter124
Flood100
Heat72
Drought41
Hail31
Other12
Lightning10
Tornado1

Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1997 was 784 against 867 in 1996.

Counties with the most recorded events

CountyEvents in 1997
Pocahontas County26
Kanawha County25
Jackson County24
Wayne County23
Webster County23
Wood County23
Randolph County21
Upshur County21
Cabell County20
Fayette County20
Lincoln County18
Preston County18
Raleigh County18
Roane County18
Taylor County18
Gilmer County17
Harrison County17
McDowell County17
Ritchie County17
Mason County16
Nicholas County16
Pleasants County16
Putnam County16
Wyoming County16
Barbour County15

Notable events

DateCountyEvent typeMagnitudeProperty damageDeathsInjuries
2 Mar 1997WayneFlood—$500,0002—
1 Jun 1997RaleighFlash Flood—$200,0002—
2 Mar 1997CalhounFlood—$200,0001—
17 Aug 1997HarrisonLightning—$35,0001—
17 Aug 1997TaylorThunderstorm Wind—$5,0001—
9 Jul 1997CabellHeavy Rain——1—
1 Mar 1997JacksonFlash Flood—$200,000—2
27 Jul 1997WoodStrong Wind—$2,000—2
23 Jun 1997FayetteLightning———1
1 Mar 1997KanawhaFlash Flood—$3,500,000——
1 Mar 1997WayneFlash Flood—$2,000,000——
1 Mar 1997RoaneFlash Flood—$1,500,000——
2 Mar 1997KanawhaFlash Flood—$1,000,000——
2 Mar 1997CabellFlash Flood—$1,000,000——
1 Mar 1997LincolnFlash Flood—$700,000——
2 Mar 1997MasonFlood—$700,000——
2 Mar 1997CabellFlood—$700,000——
1 Mar 1997ClayFlash Flood—$500,000——
1 Mar 1997CalhounFlash Flood—$500,000——
2 Mar 1997WirtFlood—$500,000——
2 Mar 1997WetzelFlash Flood—$500,000——
1 Jun 1997WyomingFlash Flood—$450,000——
2 Mar 1997WoodFlood—$400,000——
2 Mar 1997WirtFlash Flood—$300,000——
2 Mar 1997JacksonFlood—$300,000——
1 Mar 1997MasonFlash Flood—$300,000——
17 Aug 1997PrestonLightning—$300,000——
2 Jul 1997MingoFlash Flood—$250,000——
18 May 1997BrookeThunderstorm Wind121 mph$250,000——
1 Jun 1997KanawhaFlash Flood—$250,000——
17 Aug 1997WoodThunderstorm Wind—$200,000——
1 Mar 1997PutnamFlash Flood—$200,000——
2 Mar 1997TylerFlash Flood—$150,000——
1 Jun 1997LincolnFlash Flood—$150,000——
15 Aug 1997RoaneThunderstorm Wind—$100,000——
2 Mar 1997WayneFlash Flood—$100,000——
2 Mar 1997ClayFlash Flood—$100,000——
1 Mar 1997GilmerFlash Flood—$100,000——
2 Mar 1997RoaneFlash Flood—$100,000——
1 Jun 1997JacksonFlash Flood—$75,000——

Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.

Federal disaster declarations in 1997

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitleCounties
7 Mar 1997DR-1168Major disasterFloodHeavy & Wind Driven Rain, High Winds,Flooding,Slides16

Flood insurance claims with a 1997 date of loss

769 NFIP claims, 636 of them paid, for $8,322,282.

Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.