NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Clendenin, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Clendenin, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Clendenin
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Clendenin; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Clendenin begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 24 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 68% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Clendenin. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 2, 2024, came within 18 miles. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Clendenin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1981, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Clendenin.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Clendenin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Clendenin: 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 Clendenin
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s4
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 6 mi | 2.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 5.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2019 | EF1 | 18 mi | 7.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2016 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.06 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1989 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1980 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Clendenin
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Clendenin since 1981, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 23, 2019. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Clendenin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clendenin, WV, 2 miles north of Clendenin at 700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. June is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 52.7 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 116 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 52.7 inches is more than at 66 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (88%). Sissonville, 16 miles west, has its own station (Charleston Yeager Airport, WV): 46.4 inches a year, 6.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 3.9 | 8 | 6.1 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 56 | 31 | 4.5 | 9 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 60 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 4.0 | 8 | 3.8 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 52.7 | 91 | 17.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Clendenin, WV (700 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 Clendenin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Clendenin: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 13 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 5 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $37.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 19, 2008. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 64 have had fewer than Clendenin.
June 23, 2016: flood 7 miles from the centre of Clendenin — 4 killed, $36.0 million damage.
NWS: “The flood of record occurred on the lower Elk River around Clendenin. Two women died.”
March 31, 2017: heavy rain event 10 miles from the centre of Clendenin — 1 killed.
August 29, 2009: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Clendenin — $175,000 damage.
NWS: “Between 2100E on the 28th through 0300E on the 29th, a narrow southwest to northeast band of 3 to 5 inches of rain fell, mainly near and just east of the Elk River. 1 inches.”
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 Clendenin's ZIP code 25045 have filed 287 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $13.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Summer severe storms in 2016: 139 claims (48% of all) and $11.6 million, then Flooding in 1997 with 69. 74% 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, 114 have fewer than Clendenin.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Summer severe storms2016 | 139 | $11.6 million |
| Flooding1997 | 69 | $906,000 |
Kanawha County, which includes Clendenin, has been named in 35 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 10 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on October 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kanawha County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and tornadoes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $142.9 million a year, the highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $132.7 million (93%), 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 Clendenin
- Elkview, WV7 mi
- Sissonville, WV16 mi
- Charleston, WV17 mi
- Belle, WV19 mi
- Kenna, WV19 mi
- Marmet, WV20 mi
- Spencer, WV22 mi
- South Charleston, WV22 mi
- Dunbar, WV23 mi
- Cross Lanes, WV23 mi
- Poca, WV25 mi
- Nitro, WV27 mi
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