NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mullens, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mullens, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Mullens
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mullens; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Mullens begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 95% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mullens. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 4, 1974, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 4, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 13, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2014. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mullens. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1976, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mullens.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mullens
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mullens: 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 Mullens
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 8 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 10 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 13 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 12 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1975 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | in town | 4.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mullens
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Mullens since 1976, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 18, 2021. The most recent report is from April 15, 2024. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mullens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mullens 3 E, WV, 3 miles east of Mullens at 1,564 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 48.6 inches over 105 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. That 48.6 inches is more than at 55 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (73%). Sophia, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Beckley Va Hospital, WV): 43.5 inches a year, 5.1 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Feb | 47 | 24 | 3.5 | 9 |
| Mar | 56 | 30 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Apr | 68 | 39 | 4.2 | 10 |
| May | 76 | 49 | 5.1 | 11 |
| Jun | 82 | 58 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 4.2 | 9 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Oct | 68 | 41 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Nov | 57 | 31 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Year | 66 | 41 | 48.6 | 105 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mullens 3 E, WV (1,564 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 Mullens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 56 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mullens: 47 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 4 flash floods. They killed 3 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $13.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on July 9, 2003.
March 13, 2010: flood 8 miles from the centre of Mullens — 2 killed, $4.0 million damage.
November 12, 2003: flood 6 miles from the centre of Mullens — 1 killed, $6.6 million damage.
May 9, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Mullens — $2.0 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Mullens's ZIP code 25882 have filed 189 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $5.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Storm in 2009: 22 claims (12% of all) and $412,000. The year with the most claims was 2001, with 71. 20% 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, 100 have fewer than Mullens.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Storm2009 | 22 | $412,000 |
Wyoming County, which includes Mullens, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 7 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on February 26, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wyoming County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.9 million a year, the 15th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.8 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 Mullens
- Sophia, WV10 mi
- Cool Ridge, WV15 mi
- Welch, WV16 mi
- Rock, WV17 mi
- Beckley, WV17 mi
- Daniels, WV18 mi
- Beaver, WV18 mi
- Shady Spring, WV22 mi
- Mount Hope, WV22 mi
- Athens, WV23 mi
- Bluefield, WV24 mi
- Princeton, WV26 mi
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