NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elkins, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Elkins, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 Elkins
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Elkins; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 71 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Elkins begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 36 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Elkins has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 72% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on July 9, 1980; its path came within 11 miles. Of the 9, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on June 21, 2016. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elkins. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1955, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elkins.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Elkins
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 23 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 Elkins: 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 Elkins
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s3
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 1980 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2015 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1985 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1957 | F1 | in town | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1992 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1967 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 16, 1954 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elkins
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Elkins since 1955, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 23, 1999. The most recent report is from April 15, 2024. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elkins
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Elkins Randolph Co Airport, WV, 2 miles south of Elkins at 1,979 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. Snowfall averages 68.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.4 inches is more than at 44 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (59%). Belington, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Belington, WV): 51.7 inches a year, 4.3 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 20 | 3.4 | 8 | 20.3 |
| Feb | 45 | 22 | 3.3 | 8 | 15.4 |
| Mar | 54 | 29 | 4.0 | 10 | 11.4 |
| Apr | 66 | 37 | 4.1 | 10 | 2.3 |
| May | 73 | 47 | 5.1 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 56 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 6.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 58 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 39 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Nov | 55 | 30 | 2.9 | 7 | 4.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 24 | 3.6 | 9 | 14.5 |
| Year | 64 | 39 | 47.4 | 102 | 68.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Elkins Randolph Co Airport, WV (1,979 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 Elkins
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elkins: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 floods, 5 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on April 27, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 5 have had fewer than Elkins.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind in Elkins — 1 killed, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Hundreds of trees were blown down in scattered locations throughout the county. Motorists were stranded along Route 250 by fallen trees.”
April 27, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Elkins — $650,000 damage.
NWS: “The most serious damage was within the city limits. Damage was consistent with straight line winds.”
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 Elkins's ZIP code 26241 have filed 436 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 90 claims (21% of all) and $862,000. 21% 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, 122 have fewer than Elkins.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 90 | $862,000 |
Randolph County, which includes Elkins, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 4 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Randolph County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.7 million a year, the 17th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.6 million (94%), 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 Elkins
- Beverly, WV7 mi
- Belington, WV10 mi
- Parsons, WV18 mi
- Huttonsville, WV19 mi
- Philippi, WV19 mi
- Buckhannon, WV20 mi
- French Creek, WV24 mi
- Flemington, WV28 mi
- Grafton, WV31 mi
- Mount Clare, WV31 mi
- Tunnelton, WV32 mi
- Lost Creek, WV32 mi
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