NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Augusta, WV
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Augusta, West Virginia since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 21
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Augusta
The strongest storm to pass near Augusta was Hazel in 1954, a Category 1 hurricane with 84 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 30 miles. The record near Augusta begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 18 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Augusta has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 28, 2011, came within 23 miles. Of the 21, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 12, 2022. Augusta has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1991, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Augusta.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Augusta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 60 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 30 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Augusta: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Augusta
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s5
- 1990s7
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 33.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 24 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 13, 1961 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 21 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1997 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1962 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2022 | EF0 | 8 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2022 | EF0 | 13 mi | 0.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 2014 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF0 | 24 mi | 4.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Augusta
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Augusta since 1991, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 23, 1999. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. April and June have the most reports, 10 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Augusta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Romney 1 SW, WV, 10 miles west of Augusta at 720 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February and November the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 54% of the year's precipitation (20.6 of 38.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 78°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.2 inches is more than at 3 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (4%). Capon Bridge, 6 miles east, has its own station (Wardensville R M Farm, WV): 37.4 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 2.4 | 6 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 44 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 | 9.7 |
| Mar | 53 | 29 | 3.2 | 7 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 66 | 38 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 49 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 57 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 61 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 60 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 52 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 41 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 31 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Year | 65 | 41 | 38.2 | 78 | 29.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Romney 1 SW, WV (720 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Augusta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 147 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Augusta: 122 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 floods, 9 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $804,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 102 mph, on July 12, 2022. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 15 have had fewer than Augusta.
August 7, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Augusta — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Dozens of trees, wires and poles blew down in Delray.”
August 10, 2022: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Augusta — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Little Cacapon River Road was partially washed out in several locations near the Little Cacapon River. There was damage to the road.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Augusta's ZIP code 26704 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $204,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1996, with 12. 67% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 131 West Virginia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 17 have fewer than Augusta.
Hampshire County, which includes Augusta, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hampshire County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.4 million a year, the 34th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.6 million (83%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Augusta
- Capon Bridge, WV6 mi
- Romney, WV9 mi
- Gore, VA13 mi
- Cross Junction, VA16 mi
- Paw Paw, WV17 mi
- Fort Ashby, WV17 mi
- Burlington, WV18 mi
- Winchester, VA22 mi
- Keyser, WV22 mi
- Ridgeley, WV23 mi
- Strasburg, VA23 mi
- Maurertown, VA24 mi
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