Brooke County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Brooke 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.

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 WV GS (890), NASA (7).

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.

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 17, 2004Flood, Brooke$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan started the night of the 16th, and ended just before midnight on the 17th. At 1256 PM EDT, flooding was reported at Bethany; several roads washed out. At 130 PM, flooding began on Kings Creek in Weirton. Force of water blew out windows in the house nearest the creek. Residents had never seen water rise so fast before, nor flow so swiftly. Citizen on personal water craft rescued family from this house, one at a time. At 330 PM on 17th, there was mud slides and creek flooding in Bethany. In Wellsburg, a mud slide destroyed a house; water treatment plant had major damage. About 11 PM EDT on 17th, Buffalo Creek caused widespread destruction in…

2. Jul 30, 2016Flood$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency manager reported flooded roads due to debris blocking stream channel and storm drain. A wall from an old dairy building collapsed into the creek due to high water. A few water rescues were performed for people stranded in their vehicles and one person in the bottom floor of an apartment complex. Property damage was estimated at around 1.2 million dollars.

3. Jan 5, 2005Flood, Brooke$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   By 545 PM on 5th, Harmon Creek flooded just south of Weirton. By 945 PM on 5th, mud slides closed several roads after 2.5 inches of rain. Road flooding continued through noon on the 6th. A mud slide closed Rte 22 near Weirton. On the Ohio River, Wellsburg was above flood stage (36 ft), from 1030 AM on 6th to 6 AM on 8th; it crested 42.2 4 AM on 7th. One home was destroyed, 4 had major damage, 76 minor damage. Two businesses were destroyed and 20 suffered minor damage.

4. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Brooke$850,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding from the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers met nearly simultaneously at the Point in Pittsburgh. The flood waters then flowed down the Ohio River. Widespread one to two inch rains, plus runoff from snowmelt in the West Virginia and Maryland mountains, combined to create major flooding along the Ohio River. The Ohio River went above flood stage at East Liverpool, Ohio around 10 pm EST on the 19th. The river crested 10.8 feet above the 14 foot flood stage at East Liverpool. Subsequent rises downstream on the Ohio River were not as pronounced, (5.4 feet above flood stage at Hannibal, Ohio). Nonetheless, damages due to flooding to cities, industry, bridges, and communities,…

5. Apr 2, 2024Flash Flood$564,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Castlemans Run Road was closed due to flooding. Wetzel County declared $564,000 in damage from storms between April 2-6th.

6. May 18, 1997Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm microburst winds, estimated between 100 and 120 mph, caused extensive damage near Weirton. The greatest damage occurred at a slag plant near the Fort Steubenville Bridge. Two buildings were substantially damaged. A two story metal building was blown in on one side and collapsed. The other, a block building, had the roof blown off and several windows were blown out. Sections of two large conveyor belts were destroyed. Two automobiles were damaged by flying debris. Damage also occurred at a nearby sewage treatment plant. A two story block building had a crack along the second row of blocks on the second floor. A roof from a small metal building was blown off. Trees were…

7. Apr 11, 2024Flash Flood$132,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Highway 67 closed near the PA/WV state line due to high water. Flooding likely was due to Buffalo Creek. Brooke County declared $132,000 in damage from storms between April 11th-12th.

8. Jul 18, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement reported numerous trees and power lines down in and around Follansbee.

9. Feb 11, 2009High Wind, Brooke$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A powerful cold front moved across the Ohio Valley on the evening of the 11th as strong low pressure moved north across the Great Lakes. A convective line along the cold front produced widespread damage across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Garrett county Maryland with thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 to 70 MPH and a peak wind gust of 92 MPH at Allegheny County Airport near Pittsburgh. High winds gusting to 60 MPH behind the front in a strong pressure gradient produced wind damage across the entire region into midday on the 12th. In all across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and Garrett county Maryland over one half million…

10. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Brooke$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Low pressure from the remains of Hurricane Ike moved across central Ohio to Lake Erie on the evening of September 14th and produced very strong winds into the early morning of September 15th across eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. Widespread damage to trees and power lines was reported across the region with power outages and damage to some structures from falling trees. Power was not restored to some rural areas for one week after the storm. At the peak of the storm more than 2 million homes were without power. For a period of about 8 hours, sustained winds during the storm were from 30 to 50 MPH, with gusts well over 60 MPH. The highest reported…

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, 10.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 28, 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 November 1, 2026.