Belmont County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Belmont County: 0.
2. 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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. 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.

Smoke overhead

1. 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.

Claims by ZIP code

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

1. 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.

1. 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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. 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 county boundary (or inside the county).
2. 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

Mapped by NASA (9).

1. 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 17, 2004Flood, Belmont$13.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   At 11 AM EDT on 17th, CR 4 flooded near Neffs. By noon, roads were flooded in Bridgeport and St Clairsville. As of 9 AM on 18th, a few roads were still flooded but water was receding. A total of 521 structures damaged or destroyed. State Rte 7 was closed by multiple mud slides. 200 ft of Rte 40 washed away between Lansing and Brookside; 48-inch water main destroyed under road; thousands lose water service. Five businesses had major damage along Rte 40, including $1 million damage to Giant Eagle food store. House destroyed by mud slide on Rte 250. Duffy and Powhatan Point also flooded. Eight roads damaged by mud slides and floods. These routes were closed at one time: 7, 9, 145,…

2. Jan 5, 2005Flood, Belmont$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   After 1 inch of rain, by 845 AM on 5th, stream flooding had closed Jug Run Rd just north of St Clairsville. Mud slides occurred on Rte 250 near Bridgeport and Rte 40 near Lansing. Businesses were flooded along Rte 40 from Bridgeport to Lansing. By 950 PM, McMahon Creek flooded; Neffs flooded. Parts of these roads were closed: CR 9, 10, 26, 98, 100, 102; SR 147, 148, 149. Powhatan Point suffered extensive damage from small stream and river flooding. Small stream flooding continued through 7 PM on the 6th, followed by river flooding:On the Ohio River, Pike Island was above flood stage (37 ft), from 11 AM on 6th to 730 AM on 8th; it crested 43.0 ft 7 AM on 7th. Wheeling was above…

3. Jun 28, 1998Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Additional thunderstorm rains on the 28th produced flash flooding across the entire county, forcing the closure of several county and state roads across the area. Some of the harder hit areas included Powhatan Point, Shadyside, Barton, and the Colerain area where several evacuations and rescues were necessary starting on the evening of the 28th. One death occurred in the Barton area around 830 PM on the 28th when a 41-year-old woman's vehicle was swept from County Road 4 and into the Steep Run Creek.

4. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Belmont$2.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flood waters from the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers crested in phase at the Point in Pittsburgh. Water from these two mainstem rivers flow into the Ohio River. Major flooding to communities along the Ohio River occurred in Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont, and Monroe Counties in east-central Ohio. The Ohio River at East Liverpool went above its 14 foot flood stage on the 19th at 10 pm EST. The river crested at 24.8 feet (10.8 feet above flood stage) on the 20th at 7 pm. Crests downstream were not as high, Hannibal, Ohio crested at 39.4 feet (4.4 feet above flood stage) on the 21st at 1 pm. Nonetheless, damages to homes and businesses and their contents, public facilities,…

5. Sep 8, 2004Flood, Belmont$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   At 340 PM EDT on the 8th, Neffs was flooded by Big McMahon and Little McMahon Creeks. At 4 PM, flooding began in Colerain; school busses stranded. At 445 PM, Pine Creek flooded Shadyside. 549 PM, Rte 147 flooded at Bailey Mills; Rte 40 flooded Bannock. 6 PM, Lafferty flooded. 609 PM, Rte 149 flooded Glencoe. 650 PM, CR 2 flooded Yorkville. 655 PM, Bethesda flooded. 720 PM, Lansing evacuations. 816 PM, road washed away in Dilles Bottom. 854 PM, 100 homes flooded in Wolfhurst. 914 PM, cars and buildings under water in Maynard. 938 PM, near Bailey Mills, car drove into flood, 2 occupants rescued. 948 PM, near Powhatan Point, 2 woman were clinging to a tree; rescued at 1 AM EDT on…

6. Jun 19, 2011Flash Flood$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency management reported flash flooding in Willow Grove, which is near Neffs. 97 homes and businesses were damaged, with other damage to roads and bridges. The estimated total damage was near 1.3 million dollars. 6 people were evacuated from homes but there were no injuries.

7. Oct 21, 2021Tornado$525,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The National Weather Service surveyed three touch down points in|Belmont county. The first was in the small town of Loomis where|several hardwood trees had large branches down and a tree was|uprooted. The next point was a roof that was blown off a business|and displaced nearly 150 yards behind the business. In addition, a|motor home was toppled over and landed on two sports car damaging|both of them. A shed was also destroyed at this location, which |was adjacent to the business. The last point several hardwood|trees where knocked down. Estimated Maximum Wind Speed...90mph to 95mph.|Estimated damage cost was provided by the local emergency manager.

8. Aug 12, 2023Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-1 tornado started in the Hidden Springs Drive area where at|least three homes had trees fall on them. In addition, several |hardwood trees were uprooted. The tornado continued east-southeast|snapping softwood pines and downing large branches from hardwood |trees on Maynard Road. There was a barn destroyed on Maynard Road|along with minor damage to soffit. The tornado lifted as it |crossed Kagg Hill Road.

9. Jan 4, 2004Flood, Belmont$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   It started with Tunnel Rd flooding near Belmont and County Rd 56 flooding near Maynard. By 340 PM, Wheeling Creek flooded from Flushing to Bridgeport. By 4 PM, McMahon Creek flooded SR 149 in Glencoe. By 855 PM, Twp Rd 220 was closed by mud slides and high water; plus, there were mud slides in Bridgeport. At the end of the flood, newspapers reported 23 mud slides. A house on Route 647, two miles west of Martins Ferry, was threatened by a mud slide, started 6 PM on the 4th. House was later demolished for safety. During the early morning of the 5th, there was a huge mud slide near Armstrong Mills. Mud slides were reported on County Rd 30 (Kirkwood Heights); CR 54 (4 mi west of SR…

10. Jul 20, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Emergency management and a trained spotter reported trees down in Morristown, structural damage to the roof of a house and a barn near SR 149 southeast of Morristown, and trees and power lines down south of Belmont.

1. 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.

All-time high

99°FAug 27, 1948

All-time low

−10°FJan 7, 2014

Warmest night

77°F2 times, most recently Jun 29, 2024

Coldest day

5°FJan 7, 2014

Wettest day

4.12 inSep 29, 2015

Hottest year

2024mean 56.7°F

Coldest year

2014mean 50.2°F

Wettest year

201857.65 in

Driest year

202429.18 in

Station Wheeling Ohio County Airport (USW00014894), 1,195 ft elevation, 15.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 94.6% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00014894.
• 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.