Clarksburg
Population 15,562 (2025)
22 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Clarksburg since 1950, 1 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on June 14, 2021.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195022
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger6
- Major flood years since 1978, Harrison County10
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Harrison County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Harrison County.
Strongest tornado
F3
October 1, 1986, 1.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1888, 18.6 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 3.5 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
October 1, 1986
F3, 1.0 mile path
200 yards wide.
Most recent
Monday, June 14, 2021
EF0, 0.9 mile path
5 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 14, 2021 | EF0 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 23, 2017 | EF1 | 4.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 4.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1998 | F1 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 30, 1996 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F1 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 5, 1989 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4, 1986 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1, 1986 | F3 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 21, 1981 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 8, 1979 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 10, 1978 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 1978 | F1 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 6, 1975 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 19, 1975 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 22, 1970 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 7, 1967 | F2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 7, 1956 | F2 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 14, 1954 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
2 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
August 21, 1888
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
18.6 miles at closest approach, winds near 51 mph.
Most recent
September 19, 2003
Isabel, Tropical storm
52.4 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Isabel | 2003 | 52.4 | Tropical storm |
| Hugo | 1989 | 57.9 | Tropical storm |
| Frederic | 1979 | 37.6 | Tropical storm |
| David | 1979 | 92.1 | Tropical storm |
| Audrey | 1957 | 30.1 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1934 | 60.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 24.4 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 97.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1888 | 18.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1878 | 54.8 | Post-tropical |
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
No large wildfire has been mapped within 25 miles since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 54 days
Heavy smoke on 14 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
13.1 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
12 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 34 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
786 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, with $5.7 million paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Harrison County, the county that contains Clarksburg.
Most claims in one year
1978: 141 claims
$297,000 paid.
2nd most
1985: 133 claims
$2.0 million paid.
3rd most
1996: 80 claims
$453,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 26301 | 442 | $3.1 million |
| 26385 | 88 | $683,000 |
| 26431 | 53 | $269,000 |
| 26330 | 44 | $383,000 |
| 26426 | 31 | $228,000 |
| 26386 | 29 | $249,000 |
| 26448 | 22 | $193,000 |
| 18 | $201,000 | |
| 26302 | 15 | $195,000 |
| 26408 | 11 | $79,000 |
| 26404 | 10 | $81,000 |
| 26323 | 5 | $103,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood91
- Flood50
- Heavy Rain10
1 death recorded in flood events since 1996.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Harrison County, the county that contains Clarksburg.
Most severe crest
November 5, 1985
West Fork River at Enterprise, 30.37 ft
13.37 feet above the 17.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
July 22, 2026
West Fork River near Clarksburg, 17.17 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| West Fork River at Enterprise | 17.0 | 30.37 ft | 1 |
| West Fork River near Clarksburg | 14.0 | 17.17 ft | 0 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 92 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 11 months.
The drought index is for Harrison County, the county that contains Clarksburg.
92
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
39
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
16
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
January 1931
−7.23, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
11 months
August 1953 to June 1954.
Latest month
September 2026
+3.28, very wet
Last severe month: April 2026.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes and landslides
10 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 2010; none reached magnitude 4.
0
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
July 30, 2013
Magnitude 2.8
12 km SSW of Glenville, West Virginia; 41.8 miles away, 7.9 miles deep.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Mapped landslides
Landslides mapped in Harrison County.
9,636
Landslides mapped, probable or better
0
With a recorded date
1
Source inventory
Mapped by WV GS (9,636).
- Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.
USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
710 events in the National Weather Service record for Harrison County, 653 of them since 1996.
39
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
2
Hail, 2 inches or larger
194
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
77
Winter weather events since 1996
19
Heat events since 1996
32
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 16, 1998
2.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
June 23, 2017
100 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 4 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$3.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous trees and large branches were blown down across the county. Around 20,000 customers lost electricity. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $780,000.
- Jul 29, 2017Flash Flood$1.3 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread flash flooding occured across Harrison County. Areas in and around Bridgeport and Shinnston were especially hard hit. Around Bridgeport multiple roads were closed, and several houses had water into the first floors. Also, many homes had water seepage into their basements. A total of 44 homes were damaged in Harrison County by the flooding, 14 of which sustained substantial damage. There was also flash flooding in Wallace, where Long Fork Creek and Little Tenmile Creek both came out of their banks, closing portions of Barnes Street. The WV Department of Highways reported 28 state and county routes were flooded in Harrison County.
- Jun 3, 2008Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous streams quickly flooded roads and into some homes across northern portions of Harrison County during the late night hours.||Evacuations and water rescues did occur. Examples of some of the creeks included Salem Fork, Thomas Fork, Booths Creek, and Mudlick Run.
- Aug 6, 2011Flash Flood$950,000
National Weather Service narrative
Severe flash flooding occurred along Ann Moore Run. Its headwaters are around a highly urban shopping mall. The stream flows through Anmoore and East View. A lot of the flooding was also from hillside runoff. One apartment complex on the east side of the shopping center had 16 units damaged. The fire department in Anmoore was flooded. One Anmoore resident said, It was the worst one we've had. Businesses along Philippi Pike were flooded. ||Flooding of less magnitude spilled over into the Simpson Creek drainage in Bridgeport. ||A total of 10 businesses were affected. Twenty houses had significant damage. On the order of 100 homes had water in their basement. Even the county…
- Jun 16, 1998Hail$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
Baseball size hail fell at the Mount Clair Golf Course, breaking wind shields on vehicles. The Laurel Park section of town saw leaves stripped off the trees. The hail was described as bigger than golfballs.
- Aug 29, 2023Flash Flood$700,000
National Weather Service narrative
Multiple areas within Harrison County observed flooded roadways, including Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Stonewood, and Anmoore. Water rescues were conducted along Anmoore Road in Anmoore and along Hawk Highway in Lost Creek due to the bad road conditions. Due to the high water, over a dozen roads were closed for a period of time. ||At least 11 homes suffered major flooding damage in the county, including the Willow Greene neighborhood. This Bridgeport apartment complex observed water damage to the first floor of the townhomes, with many residents having to throw out furniture and prized possessions. Professional cleaners and restoration vendors were called to the complex to help with…
- May 24, 1998Tornado$600,000
National Weather Service narrative
The path was through rural countryside, including Lamberts Run. The path missed Clarksburg by just 2 miles. One house was destroyed, 2 homes and 1 mobile home had major damage. Two garages were destroyed. Other damage was to vehicles and campers. Numerous trees were blown over or snapped. Peak wind gusts were estimated at 100 to 110 mph by a National Weather Service survey team. One person was injured by flying glass.
- Jun 4, 2008Flood$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
After the ovcrnight flash flooding, additonal stream flooding occurred during the day, followed by river flooding on the West Fork River. Part of a reclamation impoundment for the Old Owings Mine gave way in Willard, sending water down a hill and into nearby homes.
- Feb 29, 2012Flash Flood$475,000
National Weather Service narrative
Small stream flooding was common across the northern half of Harrison County. Ten Mile Creek, Little Ten Mile Creek, and Isaac Creek flooded areas around Wallace, Sardis, and Lumberport. A water rescue occurred near Dola along Route 20. Mudlick Run flooded around Owings and Willard. Bingamon Creek and Cunningham Run flooded near Wyatt and Peora. Salem Fork and Jacobs Run flooded the community of Salem. In Salem, water got into a few homes and a general store. ||Overall though, the damage in the county was mostly to roads and culverts.||In the aftermath of this small stream flooding, the West Fork River crested at 19.28 feet at Enterprise. The bankfull level is around 17 feet.
- May 16, 1996Flash Flood$300,000
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Clarksburg 1, 0.5 miles from the city centre, with records from 1922.
- All-time high
- 102°F4 times, most recently Sep 4, 1953
- All-time low
- −24°FJan 19, 1994
- Warmest night
- 84°FJul 22, 1930
- Coldest day
- −2°FJan 11, 1982
- Wettest day
- 5.00 inNov 5, 1985
- Snowiest day
- 24.0 inNov 25, 1950
- Hottest year
- 2021mean 55.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1963mean 49.6°F
- Wettest year
- 201165.54 in
- Driest year
- 193021.65 in
- Snowiest season
- 65.2 in2009-10
Median first snow
December 3
Earliest: October 27, 1957
Median last snow
March 20
Latest: April 21, 1953
0 of 79 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Clarksburg 1 (USC00461677), 1,006 ft elevation, 0.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1922 to May 12, 2026; 92.7% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
25 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms and Flooding, October 7, 2026.
Declarations for Harrison County.
| Oct 7, 2026 | Severe Storm | DR-4953-WV |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3639-WV |
| Jan 30, 2024 | Flood | DR-4756-WV |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | DR-4517-WV |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3450-WV |
| Apr 17, 2018 | Mud/Landslide | DR-4359-WV |
| Aug 18, 2017 | Severe Storm | DR-4331-WV |
| Mar 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | DR-4210-WV |
| Oct 29, 2012 | Hurricane | EM-3358-WV |
| Jul 23, 2012 | Severe Storm | DR-4071-WV |
| Jun 30, 2012 | Severe Storm | EM-3345-WV |
| Mar 16, 2012 | Severe Storm | DR-4059-WV |
| Jun 19, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1769-WV |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3221-WV |
| Nov 21, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1500-WV |
| Jun 21, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1474-WV |
| Mar 14, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1455-WV |
| Feb 28, 2000 | Flood | DR-1319-WV |
| Jul 1, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1229-WV |
| May 23, 1996 | Flood | DR-1115-WV |
| Jan 13, 1996 | Snowstorm | DR-1084-WV |
| Mar 17, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3109-WV |
| Nov 7, 1985 | Flood | DR-753-WV |
| Aug 15, 1980 | Flood | DR-628-WV |
| Mar 13, 1967 | Flood | DR-224-WV |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00461677.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.