McDowell County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for McDowell County, WV right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 551 alerts that included McDowell County, roughly 55 a year. The most common is the flood watch (82 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on May 30, 2025. 2 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include McDowell County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Mercer County, Tazewell County, Buchanan County, Mingo County.
McDowell County alert history
Alert events that included McDowell County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood Watch | 82 | 11 | September 21, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 69 | 3 | March 17, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 67 | 19 | September 21, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 47 | 16 | October 2, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 43 | 11 | September 4, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 36 | 6 | November 9, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 35 | 2 | October 10, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 35 | 3 | September 22, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 34 | 8 | November 8, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 20 | 3 | February 22, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 17 | 4 | October 18, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 16 | 2 | January 30, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 9 | 4 | February 7, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 8 | 0 | May 30, 2025 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 7 | 1 | February 16, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 6 | 1 | June 30, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 5 | 0 | March 19, 2025 |
| Tornado Warning | 4 | 0 | May 30, 2025 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 3 | 0 | April 18, 2023 |
| High Wind Watch | 2 | 0 | April 1, 2023 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 1 | January 26, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 2 | 0 | September 26, 2024 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 1 | 0 | December 23, 2022 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 1 | 0 | June 22, 2025 |
Tornado history in McDowell County
2 tornadoes have been recorded in McDowell County since 1950. That ranks 24 of 55 counties in West Virginia. The most recent was on May 12, 1975 (rated F1).
Strongest tornadoes in McDowell County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1975 | F1 | McDowell County | 1 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 4, 1974 | F1 | McDowell County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1975 | F1 | McDowell County | 1 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 4, 1974 | F1 | McDowell County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
About McDowell County
- Population: 17,147 (2024 estimate)
- State: West Virginia
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 054047 (how to use it)