Wetzel County

Every recorded tornado

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

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 (3,987), NASA (1).

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. Jun 30, 1998Flash Flood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Another round of thunderstorms caused the North Fork of Fishing Creek to rise out of its banks, causing widespread basement flooding in the Pine Grove area. This was the last in a series of thunderstorm rains that moved across the county from the 27th through the 30th of June. The flash flooding associated with these storms damaged a total of 81 houses across the county, with one house completely destroyed. Flood water also washed 20 county bridges away from their supports. Many county roads were also closed due to the flood waters.

2. Sep 18, 2004Flood, Wetzel$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   By 1 AM EDT on 18th, Rte 20 closed by flood, from Reader to Folsom; and intersection of Rtes 7 and 20, southeast of New Martinsville. Rte 2 closed because of river flood. Entire 1st floor of Valley High School damaged, since it sits between 2 branches of Fishing Creek. Several businesses in New Martinsville suffered major damage. Much flooding in southern half of county. Total of 152 structures damaged or destroyed. On the Ohio River, Hannibal (OH) rose above flood stage (35 ft) 4 AM EDT on 18th, crested at 41.1 at 9 AM on 19th, and fell below flood stage 10 AM EDT on 20th. (IVAN)

3. Jan 5, 2005Flood, Wetzel$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   By 930 AM on 5th, roads were flooded in Pine Grove. By noon on 6th, flooding from small streams had ended, but then the Ohio River flooded: Hannibal OH was above flood stage (35 ft), from 730 PM on 6th to 230 PM on 8th; it crested 38.3 ft 2 PM on 7th. 283 homes damaged; 30 of these suffered major damage.

4. Apr 11, 2024Flash Flood$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Report of evacuating 4 people from a home due to high water and potential landslide. Wetzel County declared $1,423,900 in damage from storms between April 11-12th.

5. Feb 18, 2000Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain forced the South Fork of Fishing Creek out of its banks, with the high water closing portions of SR 20 from Hastings to Smithfield. Widespread flooding was also reported in the Hundred, Jacksonburg, Pine Grove and Smithfield areas.

6. Apr 2, 2024Flash Flood$933,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Portions of Shortline Highway was closed due to flooding. Wetzel County declared $933,000 in damage from storms between April 2-6th.

7. Jan 19, 1996Flood, Wetzel$540,000
   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,…

8. Mar 2, 1997Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rains led to widespread flood problems throughout Wetzel County. A Skywarn observer first reported flooding along Williams Run, 1 mile north of New Martinsville, and flood waters covered part of Route 2. Hydro Drive was also flooded. Route 7 and 20 were also flooded. Six feet of water covered Route 20 near Reader. A total of about 20 businesses and 110 homes were affected by flood waters in the County. By evening, a few low-lying areas remained under water, but in most areas the water had receded.

9. May 16, 1996Flash Flood$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Route 2, south of New Martinsville, was flooded. Mudslides were also reported at Anderson Ridge, south of Kodol. The most significant flash flooding occurred in the Folsum-Smithfield areas. As many as 70 houses and mobile homes sustained flood-related damages across the county and 10 to 12 of them were destroyed.

10. Feb 11, 2009High Wind, Wetzel$150,000
    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…

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

101°FJul 8, 2012

All-time low

−24°F2 times, most recently Jan 20, 1994

Warmest night

76°F2 times, most recently Aug 15, 1995

Coldest day

−6°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

4.28 inSep 9, 2004

Snowiest day

20.0 inMar 14, 1993

Hottest year

2024mean 54.9°F

Coldest year

1979mean 49.9°F

Wettest year

201870.51 in

Driest year

198631.70 in

Snowiest season

31.0 in2009-10

Station Hannibal Locks & Dam (USC00333500), 620 ft elevation, 5.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1975 to October 27, 2026; 98.7% 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.

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 USC00333500.
• 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.