Tornado Risk in West Virginia

All West Virginia counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index tornado score

Tornado risk — violently rotating columns of air capable of catastrophic local damage — is rated for 55 of 55 West Virginia counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Cabell County carries the state's highest tornado score at 55.1, with $1M in expected annual tornado losses.

No West Virginia county reaches the High band for tornado, and expected annual losses from tornado total roughly $13M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.

County Rankings — Tornado

#CountyTornado ScoreRatingAnn. Freq.Ann. Loss
1 Cabell County
55.1
Low 0.04 / yr $1M
2 Monongalia County
46.0
Low 0.07 / yr $1M
3 Berkeley County
42.6
Low 0.17 / yr $1M
4 Jefferson County
36.6
Low 0.13 / yr $908K
5 Kanawha County
35.2
Low 0.08 / yr $600K
6 Harrison County
35.0
Low 0.05 / yr $588K
7 Wayne County
34.1
Low 0.08 / yr $478K
8 Ohio County
33.5
Low 0.03 / yr $693K
9 Wood County
32.9
Low 0.06 / yr $534K
10 Marshall County
31.2
Low 0.08 / yr $507K
11 Marion County
30.9
Low 0.05 / yr $530K
12 Preston County
27.1
Low 0.12 / yr $353K
13 Hancock County
23.0
Very Low 0.03 / yr $286K
14 Brooke County
22.3
Very Low 0.03 / yr $205K
15 Hampshire County
20.0
Very Low 0.22 / yr $206K
16 Putnam County
18.8
Very Low 0.05 / yr $223K
17 Mineral County
18.5
Very Low 0.08 / yr $180K
18 Morgan County
18.4
Very Low 0.09 / yr $163K
19 Mercer County
17.2
Very Low 0.04 / yr $138K
20 Hardy County
16.3
Very Low 0.15 / yr $134K
21 Mason County
16.0
Very Low 0.08 / yr $125K
22 Wetzel County
15.9
Very Low 0.06 / yr $133K
23 Raleigh County
15.6
Very Low 0.04 / yr $122K
24 Taylor County
15.1
Very Low 0.03 / yr $140K
25 Grant County
14.7
Very Low 0.10 / yr $106K
26 Tyler County
14.5
Very Low 0.04 / yr $84K
27 Logan County
13.5
Very Low 0.04 / yr $83K
28 Greenbrier County
12.8
Very Low 0.06 / yr $78K
29 Jackson County
12.8
Very Low 0.07 / yr $86K
30 Upshur County
12.8
Very Low 0.03 / yr $87K
31 Pleasants County
12.4
Very Low 0.02 / yr $75K
32 Mingo County
12.2
Very Low 0.04 / yr $54K
33 Lincoln County
11.9
Very Low 0.05 / yr $66K
34 Lewis County
11.5
Very Low 0.04 / yr $73K
35 Barbour County
11.5
Very Low 0.04 / yr $80K
36 McDowell County
11.1
Very Low 0.04 / yr $44K
37 Fayette County
10.7
Very Low 0.04 / yr $60K
38 Boone County
10.6
Very Low 0.04 / yr $49K
39 Doddridge County
9.9
Very Low 0.04 / yr $65K
40 Nicholas County
9.7
Very Low 0.04 / yr $42K
41 Monroe County
9.7
Very Low 0.04 / yr $41K
42 Wyoming County
9.2
Very Low 0.04 / yr $40K
43 Randolph County
9.1
Very Low 0.09 / yr $53K
44 Ritchie County
9.0
Very Low 0.06 / yr $51K
45 Tucker County
8.6
Very Low 0.06 / yr $42K
46 Roane County
8.5
Very Low 0.05 / yr $34K
47 Wirt County
7.2
Very Low 0.03 / yr $33K
48 Summers County
6.8
Very Low 0.02 / yr $22K
49 Braxton County
6.6
Very Low 0.04 / yr $24K
50 Pendleton County
6.5
Very Low 0.11 / yr $31K
51 Clay County
5.8
Very Low 0.03 / yr $15K
52 Calhoun County
5.7
Very Low 0.03 / yr $19K
53 Pocahontas County
5.6
Very Low 0.07 / yr $18K
54 Gilmer County
4.6
Very Low 0.03 / yr $18K
55 Webster County
4.5
Very Low 0.03 / yr $9K

55 West Virginia counties with measurable tornado risk. See the national tornado ranking or all West Virginia counties by overall risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which West Virginia county has the highest tornado risk?

Cabell County has the highest FEMA tornado risk score in West Virginia at 55.1 (Low), with $1M in expected annual losses and about 0.04 events per year.

How many West Virginia counties face significant tornado risk?

55 West Virginia counties record measurable tornado risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 0 of them are rated High or Very High.

Other Hazards in West Virginia

Avalanche Cold Wave Drought Earthquake Hail Heat Wave Hurricane Ice Storm Riverine Flood Landslide Lightning Strong Wind Wildfire Winter Weather