Greenbrier County

Every recorded tornado

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

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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 WV GS (1,928), NASA (3), USGS Conterminous (2).

Deadly landslides

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. Jun 23, 2016Flash Flood$40.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Unprecedented flash flooding occurred across large parts of Greenbrier County but especially in a swath across the central part of the county where an estimated 6 to 10 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours. The first flood-related report was received at 100 PM EDT (1200 PM EST) as a portion of Highway 20 in western Greenbrier County became impassable south of Quinwood due to a mudslide and debris in the road. By 130 PM (1230 EST) there were several reports of flash flooding in the community of Rupert which required the evacuation of a nursing home and a vehicle rescue. Portions of Route 60 were closed between Rainelle and Rupert and severe flash flooding occurred along Big…

2. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Greenbrier$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong storm system on the 19th produced high winds, damaging thunderstorm winds and heavy rainfall. Snow melt in combination with the heavy rain resulted in flash flooding and then river flooding on most rivers. Record flooding occurred on portions of the Greenbrier River. Heavy rainfall and significant snow melt resulted in flash flooding which heavily damaged the public facilities at the Blue Bend Recreation Area near White Sulphur Springs, damaged several mobile homes near Rupert, washed out route 92 in three locations in Greenbrier County and flooded and damaged roads and a few bridges in Mercer County. Damage was estimated at $280,000 in Monroe County and $400,000 in…

3. Nov 19, 2003Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Moderate to heavy rainfall late on the 18th and on the 19th resulted in widespread significant flash flooding and small stream flooding.In Mercer County, there was significant flooding across the county, as many creeks and smaller rivers flooded. Numerous homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.In Greenbrier County, significant flash flooding occurred along many streams and creeks throughout the county. The flooding damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes.In Monroe County, significant flash flooding occurred along several creeks....resulting in damage to homes and businesses. Brush Creek flooded and caused evacuations in a trailer park in the Peterstown area. Indian Creek…

4. Mar 13, 2010Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several streams were reported out of their banks in western Greenbrier county. Water rescues took place in Rainelle.||Roads were closed and numerous homes were damaged. Route 60 was closed in Charmco where the Meadow River washed across the road and a portion of Anjean Road in Rupert was closed as well. Fourty-seven homes had internal water damage.|This flash flooding was made worse by snow melt. Overall, 270 homes were affected by the flooding.

5. Jun 19, 2020Flash Flood$900,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe flash flooding closed Route 12 and Route 63 into Alderson. Up to 12 homes received flood damage on the Greenbrier side of Alderson and several road culverts were destroyed. A photo from broadcast media showed Muddy Creek Mountain Road washed out.

6. Jun 29, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hundreds, if not thousands, of trees were blown down across the county. Some trees fell on houses and vehicles. Some roads were impassable due to the downed trees. Power lines were also brought down by the falling trees. In Rainelle, multiple trees fell upon houses. An 88 MPH wind gust was measured at White Sulpher Springs.

7. May 9, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds knocked down about 100 trees and power lines in the southern portion of Greenbrier County. Some trees fell on cars and homes. One person suffered minor injuries when a tree fell on the car they were in.

8. Feb 6, 1998Heavy Snow, Greenbrier$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy snow developed during the morning hours on the 6th and continued into the afternoon hours. Snowfall amounts were mainly from 3 to 6 inches in Mercer, Monroe, and Summers Counties and from 6 to 10 inches in Greenbrier County. The weight of the snow from this storm broke of tree limbs that resulted in some power outages, especially in Greenbrier County. The weight of the snow combined with recent rains and the weight of snow from the record breaking snow storm at the end of January collapsed roofs of two churches and toppled steeples at two other churches. In addition, roofs of several out buildings, homes, barns, and businesses collapsed under the weight of the snow. Numerous…

9. Jan 19, 1996Flash Flood$400,000
10. Jun 8, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$255,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Local emergency management survey indicated a couple hundred trees were blown down over a length of 1000 yards by a suspected microburst in the Blue Bend area along Anthony Road, roughly two miles west of the intersection of Anthony Road and WV92. Most trees were uprooted, and some were snapped. Many of the trees fell in a campgrounds area where signage, trash cans, and one setup camp were damaged. Damage values are estimated.

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

102°F2 times, most recently Jul 25, 1934

All-time low

−37°FDec 30, 1917

Warmest night

82°FJul 28, 1986

Coldest day

2°F2 times, most recently Feb 20, 2015

Wettest day

8.00 inJun 24, 2016

Snowiest day

20.0 inMar 14, 1993

Hottest year

1986mean 55.7°F

Coldest year

1996mean 48.6°F

Wettest year

199657.14 in

Driest year

193017.25 in

Snowiest season

92.7 in2009-10

Station Lewisburg 3 N (USC00465224), 2,300 ft elevation, 4.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1900 to October 23, 2026; 98.3% 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 USC00465224.
• 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.