NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leon, 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 Leon, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 25 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 25
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Leon
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The record near Leon begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 71 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 Leon. The strongest of the 25 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 25, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Leon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1983, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Leon.
Compare Leon's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 22 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 Leon: 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 Leon
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s4
- 2000s4
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s2
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F5 | 17 mi | 34 mi | 7 / 93 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2002 | F2 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 2000 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1967 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2016 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.06 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 4, 2014 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2007 | EF1 | 9 mi | 1.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 13, 1999 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 25, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leon
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Leon since 1983, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on September 25, 1994. The most recent report is from July 2, 2023. May has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Southside 3 NNW, WV, 4 miles west of Leon at 576 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 46.3 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. That 46.3 inches is more than at 38 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (51%). Ripley, 11 miles east, has its own station (Ripley, WV): 46.2 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 88°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 19 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Feb | 44 | 22 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Mar | 53 | 28 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 66 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 74 | 49 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 58 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 84 | 60 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 67 | 41 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 30 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Year | 64 | 40 | 46.3 | 81 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Southside 3 NNW, WV (576 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 Leon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leon: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 10 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 2, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 17 have had fewer than Leon.
June 23, 2016: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Leon — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
April 16, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Leon — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
January 30, 2013: heavy rain event 6 miles from the centre of Leon — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 50 year old woman drowned, while attempting to walk across a swollen small stream, called Beech Fork. It was dark, around 2100E.”
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
Mason County, which includes Leon, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on May 13, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mason County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.4 million (86%), 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 Leon
- Ripley, WV11 mi
- Letart, WV13 mi
- Red House, WV14 mi
- Gallipolis Ferry, WV14 mi
- Point Pleasant, WV14 mi
- Winfield, WV16 mi
- Racine, OH16 mi
- Kenna, WV17 mi
- Gallipolis, OH18 mi
- Poca, WV18 mi
- Ravenswood, WV19 mi
- Scott Depot, WV21 mi
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