Enter any address in Barbour County, West Virginia to see its FEMA flood zone
Barbour County experiences frequent flooding, with both general flood and flash flood events recorded over the past 30 years. Recent events include widespread rainfall causing creeks and streams to overflow their banks on January 31, 2025, and February 6, 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced 223 claims. However, properties in Zone UNKNOWN and Zone X_SHADED have seen higher average payouts and water depths, suggesting significant risk in these areas as well. Homeowners in low-lying areas, near creeks and streams, and those without a defined Base Flood Elevation (BFE) should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
56 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Barbour County, West Virginia has recorded 69 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 31 flash floods and 38 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1967–2026)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Hurricane | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Severe Storm | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Severe Storm | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Mudslides, And | Severe Storm | Jun 3, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Apr 14, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | 1.50K |
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | 0.15K |
| Flood | Jan 31, 2025 | 0.50K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2025 | 0.25K |
| Flood | Feb 1, 2025 | 1.50K |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2024 | 2.00K |
Flood — Jan 31, 2025
An advancing low pressure system set forth ample amounts of lift and moisture to round out the month of January. Widespread rainfall first entered into the southwestern coalfields of West Virginia on the morning of January 31st, and continued to invade northeastward and up into the higher terrain of the state. Local creeks and streams quickly spilled out of their banks on that day in conjunctio...
Flash Flood — Jun 7, 2025
At the start of the month, a stationary front hovered over Ohio and Pennsylvania on the 5th and 6th of June. The front briefly resumed a southeast march into West Virginia on the 7th before stalling across the area once again. An upper level disturbance finally pushed the front to the north and then sent a cold front through the middle Ohio Valley and central Appalachians on the 8th. ||In the m...
Flood — Feb 6, 2025
Showers first entered into West Virginia on the evening of February 5th as a disturbance skirted by to the south. Precipitation continued into the next day, in addition to a few severe thunderstorms that developed ahead of a cold front in the early afternoon. Strong wind gusts from storms caused numerous downed trees and power line damage across Boone and Lincoln Counties during the early after...
Flood — Feb 1, 2025
A low pressure system brought widespread rainfall to the area on the 31st of January, initiating flooding in poor drainage areas and along local creeks and streams. While rainfall ended the evening of the 31st, high water and river flooding continued into early February. River flooding persisted along the Little Kanawha River through the 1st of February, while the Tygart Valley and Buckhannon R...
Flash Flood — May 25, 2024
On May 25th, a swath of downed trees occurred across north-central West Virginia as passing disturbances provided support to a nearby stalled frontal boundary. Scattered showers and storms arrived into the state from the west and grew to become strong to severe. Most notable damage that occurred from the resulting damaging winds were downed trees in Harrison, Taylor, and Barbour Counties. ||Hea...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Barbour County, West Virginia:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Barbour County, West Virginia that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.