NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hinton, 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 Hinton, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Hinton
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hinton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Hinton begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 66 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 7 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 45% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hinton. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 4, 1974, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 4, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2014. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hinton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hinton.
Compare Hinton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hinton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 68 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 Hinton: 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 Hinton
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
- 1970s7(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 16 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 22 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 14 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 1966 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.1 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 Hinton
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Hinton since 1984, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 5, 2001. The most recent report is from March 18, 2021. May and June have the most reports, 11 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hinton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bluestone Lake, WV, 2 miles south of Hinton at 1,390 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 41.2 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.2 inches is more than at 12 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (16%). Shady Spring, 8 miles west, has its own station (Beckley Raleigh Co Airport, WV): 43.5 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 25 | 3.1 | 7 | 6.0 |
| Feb | 47 | 27 | 2.9 | 6 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 3.7 | 8 | 2.9 |
| Apr | 68 | 42 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 51 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 3.2 | 8 | 4.0 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 41.2 | 86 | 18.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bluestone Lake, WV (1,390 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 Hinton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hinton: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 7 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.1 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, 3 of 8. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 12 have had fewer than Hinton.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Hinton — $225,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds down numerous trees across the county. Most county roads had trees blown down across them.”
June 21, 2016: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Hinton — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Flood waters from Brooks Creek crossed Route 20 and heavily damaged a number of cars and homes. Water also entered the Summers County High School requiring EMS crews to retrieve several students but damage was minimal.”
May 29, 2019: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Hinton — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large trees in Hinton and Bellepoint. The trees crushed a few outbuildings and damaged some garages.”
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 Hinton's ZIP code 25951 have filed 138 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 72 claims (52% of all) and $1.5 million, then Summer severe storms in 2016 with 25. 71% 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, 92 have fewer than Hinton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 72 | $1.5 million |
| Summer severe storms2016 | 25 | $587,000 |
Summers County, which includes Hinton, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 droughts). 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 Summers County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.2 million a year, the 40th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.8 million (71%), 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.