192 flood insurance claims·$1.9M paid·4 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Mineral County, West Virginia. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from slow-moving summer thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominates the flood risk profile in Mineral County, West Virginia. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 31 flash flood events alongside 23 general flood events.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. In May 2025, a slow-moving upper-level low brought anomalous moisture and rain rates exceeding two inches an hour, producing localized totals of four to eight inches across Mineral County in a six-hour period and triggering significant flooding. Similarly, slow-moving thunderstorms formed along the higher terrain of the Allegheny Mountains in June 2025, dropping two to four inches of rain and causing flash flooding.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records show that properties in high-risk Zone A face the most severe impacts, accounting for 141 claims with an average payout of $14,390 and an average recorded water depth of 7 inches. Properties
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Mineral County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
141 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 6 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 1996, with 108 claims and $945,139 paid, the year of Flooding and Hurricane Fran and Associated Heavy Rains,flooding Highwind.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
13 NOAA storm reports from Mineral County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the West Virginia flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 23, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | May 28, 2018 |
| Hurricane Sandy | Oct 29, 2012 |
| Severe Storms | Jun 29, 2012 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorms | Feb 5, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Hurricane Isabel | Sep 18, 2003 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Record/near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding And Landslides | Feb 16, 2003 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
54 since 1996: 31 flash floods and 23 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 15, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 6, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Feb 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 13, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area. A long duration period of rain ensued, with rain rates exceeding two inches an hour during the afternoon of May 13th. The slow moving storms coupled with training led to localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across Mineral County, WV, with lesser amounts of two to four inches across the r…
Flash Flood · May 13, 2025. A slow moving closed upper level low originating from the Gulf of America brought anomalous moisture into the area. A long duration period of rain ensued, with rain rates exceeding two inches an hour during the afternoon of May 13th. The slow moving storms coupled with training led to localized rainfall totals of four to eight inches across Mineral County, WV, with lesser amounts of two to four inches across the r…
Flash Flood · Jun 6, 2025. Slow moving thunderstorms formed along the higher terrain of the Allegheny Mountains before slowly drifting eastward. This resulted in a localized two to four inches of rain across parts of Mineral County and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Aug 29, 2024. Heavy rainfall along a stalled boundary led to instances of flash flooding.
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Mineral County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.