West Virginia Declares Emergency for All 55 Counties After New Storms Dump Heavy Rain

An aerial view shows extensive flooding in Buckhannon, W.Va., on July 22, 2026. Office of West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey via AP

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency on Aug. 18 for all of the state’s 55 counties after slow-moving storms dropped excessive rain beginning Aug. 16.

The systems caused flash flooding, mudslides, damaging winds, and water rescues. Homes, businesses, public infrastructure, and essential services have been impacted.

Several areas saw near-record rainfall in just a few hours, which led to the damage.

“West Virginians have been hit by another round of severe weather at a time when many communities are still recovering from last month’s storms,” Morrisey said. “This declaration gives our emergency responders, state agencies, and local officials the flexibility they need to move quickly, get resources where they are needed, and help communities recover from the damage.”

The order applies to the whole state and remains in place for 30 days unless the governor ends it earlier. It allows state and local agencies to coordinate and deploy personnel, equipment, and other resources for response and relief work.

The declaration gives the West Virginia Emergency Management Division and other state agencies room to keep working with local and federal partners. They can assess damage, meet immediate needs, and offer help to communities hit by the latest storms.

“We have crews and emergency responders working across the state, and we are going to make sure they have what they need to do their jobs,” Morrisey said. “We will continue working with our local partners to assess the damage and help West Virginians recover.”

Morrisey’s office said that because the storms moved slowly across the state over three days, some areas saw near-record totals within hours, leading to flooding and the need for fast response times, assessments, and recovery.

Morrisey previously declared an emergency covering the entire state on July 21 after an earlier round of severe storms and flooding. Last week, he extended that earlier order through Sept. 19 for Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Lewis, Pendleton, Pleasants, Randolph, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, and Wetzel counties.

Several other states in the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and nearby Appalachia are being affected by the same weather patterns brought on by a cold front moving eastward across the central and eastern United States.