NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Letart, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Letart, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 23 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 23
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Letart
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Letart; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Letart begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 62 miles away. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 68% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Letart. The strongest of the 23 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 23, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Letart has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1983, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Letart has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
Compare Letart's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Letart
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 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 Letart: 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 Letart
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s5
- 1990s5
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F5 | 14 mi | 34 mi | 7 / 93 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF3 | 19 mi | 9.05 mi | 1 / 16 |
| May 8, 2002 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 2000 | F2 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1967 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2016 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.06 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 27, 2007 | EF1 | 4 mi | 1.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F1 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 23, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Letart
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Letart since 1983, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently May 23, 2019. The most recent report is from April 17, 2024. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Letart
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Southside 3 NNW, WV, 12 miles south of Letart 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%). Racine, OH, 5 miles northeast, 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 Letart
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 194 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Letart: 126 thunderstorm wind reports, 42 floods, 22 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 2012. May has had the most flash floods, 12 of 22. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Letart.
June 23, 2016: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Letart — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding occurred in scattered locations, mostly in the northern half of the county. In Ravenswood, a small stream along Utah Road called Lick Run is usually ankle deep.”
July 25, 2016: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Letart — 1 killed.
NWS: “A West Virginia DOH worker was killed during the cleanup of one tree down on Union Campground Road. The worker was removing the tree from the road when it rolled over onto him.”
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Letart — $1.5 million 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
Mason County, which includes Letart, 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.