NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Berkeley Springs, 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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 37 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 37
- 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 Berkeley Springs
The strongest storm to pass near Berkeley Springs was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 13 miles. The record near Berkeley Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 42 miles away. The 1890s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 22 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Berkeley Springs is tied for the most hurricanes within 75 miles among the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 37 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 17, 2004, came within 17 miles. Of the 37, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 17, 2025. Berkeley Springs has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Berkeley Springs.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Berkeley Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1955 | ConnieAug 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 45 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 13 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 67 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Berkeley Springs: 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 Berkeley Springs
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s7
- 2000s8
- 1990s11
- 1970s4
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 13, 1961 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 2017 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2014 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1998 | F1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | F1 | 20 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 18 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 37, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Berkeley Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Berkeley Springs since 1957, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 18, 2006. The most recent report is from May 27, 2024. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Berkeley Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cacapon St Pk #2, WV, 6 miles southwest of Berkeley Springs at 958 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.8 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (22.8 of 42.8 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. That 42.8 inches is more than at 20 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (27%). Hedgesville, 9 miles east, has its own station (Martinsburg 2, WV): 41.4 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 43 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 42.8 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cacapon St Pk #2, WV (958 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 Berkeley Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 223 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Berkeley Springs: 171 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 floods and 6 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 76 mph, on June 29, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 7 have had fewer than Berkeley Springs.
June 1, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Berkeley Springs — 1 killed.
NWS: “Tractor trailer blown over by thunderstorm winds. The trailer was then hit by an oncoming truck.”
April 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Berkeley Springs — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “There were over 100 calls for trees, wires, and poles blown down across the northern portion of the county from Berkeley Springs to Great Cacapon, including several onto cars and homes. Shingle and siding damage was reported.”
April 8, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Berkeley Springs — $100,000 damage.
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 Berkeley Springs's ZIP code 25411 have filed 85 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 21 claims (25% of all) and $353,000, then Hurricane Fran in 1996 with 12. 40% 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, 72 have fewer than Berkeley Springs.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 21 | $353,000 |
| Hurricane Fran1996 | 12 | $271,000 |
Morgan County, which includes Berkeley Springs, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morgan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.7 million a year, the 43rd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (80%), 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 Berkeley Springs
- Hancock, MD9 mi
- Hedgesville, WV9 mi
- Paw Paw, WV12 mi
- Gerrardstown, WV14 mi
- Warfordsburg, PA16 mi
- Cross Junction, VA16 mi
- Martinsburg, WV16 mi
- Inwood, WV17 mi
- Clear Spring, MD18 mi
- Falling Waters, WV19 mi
- Bunker Hill, WV20 mi
- Kearneysville, WV22 mi
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