Thunderstorm Wind in West Virginia
Every thunderstorm wind event the National Weather Service has filed in West Virginia, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
The most significant on the map
The most significant thunderstorm wind episodes in West Virginia.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 8,453
- Deaths
- 19
- Injuries
- 175
- Damage
- $113 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in West Virginia, June 23 to 24, 2016Multiple rounds of convection resulted in wind damage and flooding. Flash flooding on small streams turned into river flooding. A historic and record setting flood occurred along portions of the Elk and Gauley Rivers in central West Virginia.
- Tornado and Hail in West Virginia, April 9, 1991
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 4, 1974
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, June 29, 2012On the second day of a developing heat wave, under a sunny sky, afternoon temperatures reached record levels. The lowlands saw thermometers reach into the upper 90s and above 100 degrees. For example, both Huntington and Charleston had 103 degrees.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, February 15 to 19, 2025Light precipitation started to arrive on the evening of February 14th due to an approaching low pressure system, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, September 16, 2010A cold front, in tandem with strong mid and upper level forcing, produced a severe weather outbreak in southeast Ohio into extreme western West Virginia during the late afternoon and evening of Thursday the 16th.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, June 27 to 30, 1998Three consecutive nights of thunderstorms left western and northern counties with wind damage and flooding. The first night was from Friday evening, the 26th, into early Saturday morning, the 27th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, May 2 to 4, 2002Repetitive showers and thunderstorms moved rapidly across the southern coal fields, from the late morning hours to the early evening, on a Thursday, the 2nd of May.
- Tornadoes and Flooding in West Virginia, April 2 to 7, 2024A strong area of low pressure tracking through the Ohio Valley caused multiple rounds of thunderstorms across the state of West Virginia on April 2nd and 3rd.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, May 18 to 19, 2001A rotating supercell developed in southeast Ohio, then moved across Mason and Jackson counties. The large hail damaged houses and vehicles. In its wake, a larger complex of thunderstorms moved through.
- Flood and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, July 25, 2005After a hot and humid afternoon, strong to severe thunderstorms moved southeast, out of Ohio, and through much of West Virginia. Damaging wind gusts were common with the storms and the associated outflow boundary.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in West Virginia, March 2 to 3, 2012A deepening low pressure system was lifting northeast out of central Illinois around midday on Friday, the 2nd. It reached southern Michigan by evening. By late afternoon its associated warm front had pulled north into central Ohio and into central West Virginia near Charleston.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, May 30 to 31, 2004The flash flooding in Mingo, Logan, and Wyoming Counties became part of the federal disaster area. Additional flooding, but on a more localized scale, would occur in the disaster area in early June. Around 500 National Guard troops were used in the flood cleanup and recovery.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, November 12 to 13, 2003Rains of 2.5 to 4.75 inches fell from 2200E on the 11th through 1900E on the 12th. Repetitive showers formed, as dew points of 60 to 65 degrees fed the system from Kentucky.
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in West Virginia, January 11 to 12, 2020A strong storm system moved through the Great Lakes on the 11th and 12th. Ahead of this system, temperatures on the afternoon of the 11th soared into the 70s and low 80s, driven by strong southerly winds. Gusts were regularly measured in the 40-50 mph range.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 8, 1965
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, February 11, 2009A strong low pressure center tracked from Missouri to Michigan. Meanwhile, its associated upper level trough pushed a cold front through West Virginia on either side of sunset.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, October 1, 1986
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, April 11 to 16, 2024Showers and thunderstorms developed on the afternoon of April 11th due to the combination of unseasonably warm temperatures and a passing disturbance. Storms crossed in from the Ohio River Valley during the early afternoon and continued an eastward progression into the evening.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, May 6 to 10, 2022A slow moving low pressure system, along with plenty of moisture, allowed for showers and thunderstorms to gradually move through the Ohio Valley during the day on May 6th.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in West Virginia, July 10, 2003A potent squall line developed during the early afternoon across central Ohio, on southwest to central Kentucky. This was along a prefrontal surface boundary, and well out ahead of a strong cold front.
- Tornadoes and Hail in West Virginia, June 16, 1982
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, April 3 to 4, 2015A warm front lifted through during the morning of the 2nd. Only a few showers and storms were associated with the warm front. Rounds of showers and thunderstorms formed in the lower Ohio River Valley and moved quickly into western West Virginia during the evening of the 2nd.
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, August 4, 2010In a hot and humid air, thunderstorms moved through southeast Ohio and into West Virginia during the afternoon. Low level convergence was aided by a leftover boundary from early morning convection.
- Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, August 17 to 18, 1997Several different lines or clusters of thunderstorms moved across the region during this Sunday afternoon. Most damage was isolated and relatively minor. The exception was in and around the mid Ohio Valley town of Parkersburg, on east, along the Route 50 corridor.
More
Thunderstorm Wind everywhereEvery kind of event in West Virginia
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.