NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Daniels, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Daniels, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 14
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Daniels
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Daniels; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Daniels begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 95% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Daniels. The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 4, 1974, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 4, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 14, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2014. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Daniels. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Daniels has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
Compare Daniels's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Daniels
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Daniels: 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 Daniels
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s5(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 7 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 2 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 9 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 20 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 2 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 17 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F1 | 7 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Daniels
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Daniels since 1962, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 23, 1962. The most recent report is from July 12, 2022. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Daniels
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beckley Raleigh Co Airport, WV, 4 miles north of Daniels at 2,514 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 24°F. July is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 107 nights a year. Snowfall averages 55.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.5 inches is more than at 23 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (31%). Cool Ridge, 6 miles south, has its own station (Beckley Va Hospital, WV): 43.5 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 24 | 3.1 | 8 | 15.5 |
| Feb | 44 | 27 | 3.1 | 7 | 15.2 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 4.0 | 9 | 8.9 |
| Apr | 64 | 43 | 3.6 | 8 | 1.5 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.7 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 59 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 62 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 44 | 2.7 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Nov | 53 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 3.3 | 8 | 11.1 |
| Year | 62 | 43 | 43.5 | 93 | 55.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beckley Raleigh Co Airport, WV (2,514 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 Daniels
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Daniels: 117 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 15 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on August 7, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Daniels.
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Daniels — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
May 2, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Daniels — 1 injured, $20,000 damage.
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Daniels — 1 injured, $3,000 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
Raleigh County, which includes Daniels, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 7 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on February 26, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Raleigh County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.0 million a year, the 14th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.5 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.