NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grafton, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Grafton, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Grafton
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Grafton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Grafton begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 33 miles away. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Grafton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 3, 1980; its path came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 16, 1982, killed 1 person. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2024. Grafton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grafton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grafton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Grafton: 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 Grafton
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s9
- 1990s3
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 15 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jun 21, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 22, 1970 | F2 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1967 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F1 | 17 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2017 | EF1 | 20 mi | 4.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2017 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 2 mi | 4.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1998 | F1 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grafton
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Grafton since 1969, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 28, 2016. The most recent report is from May 25, 2019. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grafton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tygart Dam, WV, 2 miles south of Grafton at 1,235 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 48.5 inches over 98 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. Snowfall averages 25.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.5 inches is more than at 53 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (71%). Flemington, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Clarksburg Benedum Airport, WV): 44.8 inches a year, 3.7 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 3.4 | 8 | 9.7 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 3.3 | 8 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 52 | 29 | 3.9 | 8 | 3.3 |
| Apr | 64 | 39 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.9 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 4.9 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 61 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 53 | 32 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.8 | 8 | 3.6 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 48.5 | 98 | 25.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tygart Dam, WV (1,235 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 Grafton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 193 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grafton: 142 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods, 13 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 8, 2014. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 121 have had fewer than Grafton.
August 17, 1997: thunderstorm wind in Grafton — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A 40 year old man was killed, while driving on Route 50, when a large tree branch struck his vehicle.”
June 4, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Grafton — $750,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Grafton — $500,000 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 Grafton's ZIP code 26354 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $111,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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 Grafton.
Taylor County, which includes Grafton, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1980, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 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 Taylor County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 41st highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.0 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.
Cities near Grafton
- Flemington, WV8 mi
- Fairmont, WV11 mi
- Bridgeport, WV12 mi
- Philippi, WV13 mi
- Shinnston, WV14 mi
- Tunnelton, WV14 mi
- Rivesville, WV15 mi
- Reedsville, WV16 mi
- Mount Clare, WV17 mi
- Clarksburg, WV17 mi
- Lumberport, WV19 mi
- Masontown, WV19 mi
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