NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Burlington, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Burlington, West Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 14
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Burlington
The strongest storm to pass near Burlington was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Burlington begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 70 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Burlington has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 83% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 19, 1967, killed 1 person. Of the 14, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on July 12, 2022. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Burlington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1988, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Burlington.
Compare Burlington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Burlington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 48 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 66 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 Burlington: 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 Burlington
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s5(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 21 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 19, 1967 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 25 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 2 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 5, 1969 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 18 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1973 | F1 | 24 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F1 | 23 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1954 | F1 | 23 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 12, 2022 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2022 | EF0 | 7 mi | 0.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2009 | EF0 | 21 mi | 5.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Burlington
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Burlington since 1988, made on 19 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 26, 1993. The most recent report is from March 31, 2022. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Burlington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Keyser 2 SSW, WV, 8 miles northwest of Burlington at 965 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (20.8 of 41.4 inches). September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.4 inches is more than at 15 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (20%). Romney, 9 miles east, has its own station (Romney 1 SW, WV): 38.2 inches a year, 3.2 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 2.8 | 6 | 9.6 |
| Feb | 44 | 22 | 2.6 | 6 | 10.3 |
| Mar | 53 | 28 | 3.8 | 8 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 67 | 37 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 47 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 56 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 59 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 52 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 40 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 31 | 2.7 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 3.0 | 6 | 6.6 |
| Year | 65 | 40 | 41.4 | 83 | 33.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Keyser 2 SSW, WV (965 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 Burlington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 144 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Burlington: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 17 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $356,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on November 15, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 17. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 53 have had fewer than Burlington.
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
Mineral County, which includes Burlington, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 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 Mineral County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.7 million a year, the 26th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.3 million (90%), 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.