Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Keyser, WV

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Keyser 2 SSW, WV, 3 miles west of Keyser at 965 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (20.8 of 41.4 inches). September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.4 inches is more than at 15 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (20%). Fort Ashby, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Cumberland 2, MD): 39.3 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Keyser: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 22 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $567,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 7, 2023. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 23. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 85 have had fewer than Keyser.

Flood insurance policyholders in Keyser's ZIP code 26726 have filed 152 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Fran in 1996: 56 claims (37% of all) and $598,000, then Flooding in 1996 with 43. 66% 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, 96 have fewer than Keyser.