NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cowen, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cowen, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Cowen
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cowen; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. The record near Cowen begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 66 miles away. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 45% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cowen. The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 21, 2016, came within 11 miles. Of the 5, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cowen. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1966, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cowen.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cowen
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cowen: 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 Cowen
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 11 mi | 5.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1969 | F1 | 9 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 20 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 9, 1991 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cowen
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Cowen since 1966, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 23, 2000. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 10 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cowen
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Webster Springs 8 N, WV, 10 miles northeast of Cowen at 1,850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 60.2 inches over 119 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 140 nights a year. Snowfall averages 91.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 60.2 inches is more than at 74 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (99%). Craigsville, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Richwood 1SSE, WV): 56.0 inches a year, 4.2 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 20 | 4.3 | 12 | 28.9 |
| Feb | 45 | 23 | 3.9 | 10 | 15.5 |
| Mar | 52 | 29 | 5.3 | 12 | 17.1 |
| Apr | 65 | 37 | 5.1 | 11 | 3.9 |
| May | 73 | 46 | 5.9 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 54 | 6.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 58 | 6.6 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 57 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 39 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 55 | 30 | 4.3 | 9 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 45 | 24 | 4.7 | 10 | 18.5 |
| Year | 64 | 39 | 60.2 | 119 | 91.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Webster Springs 8 N, WV (1,850 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 Cowen
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 99 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cowen: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 15 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on March 1, 2017. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Cowen.
June 23, 2016: flood 6 miles from the centre of Cowen — $5.0 million damage.
June 23, 2016: flood 7 miles from the centre of Cowen — $4.0 million damage.
July 13, 2015: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Cowen — $600,000 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 Cowen's ZIP code 26206 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $372,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 55% 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, 25 have fewer than Cowen.
Webster County, which includes Cowen, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1980, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Webster County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.3 million a year, the 46th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.2 million (82%), 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 Cowen
- Craigsville, WV9 mi
- Webster Springs, WV9 mi
- Richwood, WV14 mi
- Sutton, WV17 mi
- Summersville, WV20 mi
- Gassaway, WV24 mi
- Marlinton, WV30 mi
- French Creek, WV33 mi
- Rainelle, WV34 mi
- Huttonsville, WV35 mi
- Glenville, WV39 mi
- Fayetteville, WV40 mi
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