NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Milton, 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 Milton, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Milton
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Milton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Milton begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 69 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 Milton. The highest rating among the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 2, 2012, came within 23 miles. Of the 29, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Milton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1977, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Milton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Milton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 36 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 Milton: 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 Milton
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s3
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 84.99 mi | 10 / 118 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 8 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2019 | EF1 | 23 mi | 7.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 2014 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Milton
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Milton since 1977, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on June 21, 2016. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 17 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Milton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pea Ridge Psd, WV, 9 miles west of Milton at 584 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 27°F. July is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.8 inches is more than at 41 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (55%). Culloden, 5 miles southeast, has its own station (Hamlin, WV): 47.6 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 27 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 3.3 | 8 | 2.5 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 4.2 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 71 | 44 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 4.8 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 48 | 31 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 46.8 | 93 | 9.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pea Ridge Psd, WV (584 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 Milton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 228 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Milton: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 floods, 34 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 31, 2018. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 118 have had fewer than Milton.
December 10, 2007: flood 3 miles from the centre of Milton — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
July 27, 2005: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Milton — 1 killed.
July 24, 2011: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Milton — 1 injured.
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 Milton's ZIP code 25541 have filed 269 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 67 claims (25% of all) and $1.0 million, then Not a named storm in 1978 with 48. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 83. 43% 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, 110 have fewer than Milton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 67 | $1.0 million |
| Not a named storm1978 | 48 | $494,000 |
Cabell County, which includes Milton, 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 Milton
- Culloden, WV5 mi
- Ona, WV5 mi
- Hurricane, WV8 mi
- Barboursville, WV9 mi
- Hamlin, WV11 mi
- Proctorville, OH12 mi
- Scott Depot, WV13 mi
- Winfield, WV13 mi
- Crown City, OH15 mi
- Red House, WV16 mi
- Huntington, WV16 mi
- Branchland, WV16 mi
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