NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Huntington, 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 Huntington, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 32 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 32
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Huntington
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Huntington; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. The record near Huntington begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 56 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 Huntington. The strongest of the 32 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 7 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 2, 2012, killed 10 people. Of the 32, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Huntington has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 139 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Huntington is tied for the most hail reports within 10 miles among the 161 West Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Huntington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Huntington: 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 Huntington
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s5
- 1980s4
- 1970s2
- 1960s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F5 | 25 mi | 34 mi | 7 / 93 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F3 | 8 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 2016 | EF2 | 22 mi | 2.63 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 15, 2000 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 29.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 24 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 4 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 17 mi | 0.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 2 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 32, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Huntington
The Storm Prediction Center has 139 hail reports within 10 miles of Huntington since 1962, made on 74 separate days. Of these, 76 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 23, 1962. The most recent report is from April 29, 2025. May has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Huntington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Huntington Swg Pl, WV, 6 miles west of Huntington at 520 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 25°F. July is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 45.2 inches over 86 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.2 inches is more than at 31 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (41%). Proctorville, OH, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Pea Ridge Psd, WV): 46.8 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 25 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 3.3 | 7 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 56 | 34 | 4.2 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 53 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 30 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 45.2 | 86 | 10.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Huntington Swg Pl, WV (520 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 Huntington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 352 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Huntington: 237 thunderstorm wind reports, 59 flash floods, 45 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $8.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 2, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 24 of 59. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 144 have had fewer than Huntington.
May 6, 2022: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Huntington — 1 killed, $900,000 damage.
NWS: “Significant flash flooding occurred in Cabell County. The hardest hit area was the Enslow Park area where over 100 homes and many vehicles were inundated as Fourpole Creek flooded.”
July 14, 2016: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Huntington — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Water rose rapidly on several local streams and creeks resulting in roadway blockages and homes surrounded. The hardest hit area was along Green Valley Road where 50 homes sustained damage from high water.”
July 25, 2005: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Huntington — 1 killed, $1,000 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 Huntington's 5 ZIP codes have filed 475 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 32 claims (7% of all) and $229,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 28 and Not a named storm in 1978 with 27. The year with the most claims was 2022, with 59. 19% 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, 124 have fewer than Huntington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 32 | $229,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 28 | $255,000 |
| Not a named storm1978 | 27 | $84,000 |
Cabell County, which includes Huntington, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 7 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on May 22, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cabell County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $49.3 million a year, the 2nd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.1 million (83%), 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 Huntington
- Chesapeake, OH3 mi
- Proctorville, OH6 mi
- Lavalette, WV7 mi
- Barboursville, WV7 mi
- South Point, OH8 mi
- Kenova, WV8 mi
- Ona, WV11 mi
- Catlettsburg, KY11 mi
- Kitts Hill, OH12 mi
- Wayne, WV13 mi
- Ashland, KY14 mi
- Prichard, WV14 mi
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