NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oak Hill, 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 Oak Hill, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 16 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 16
- 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 Oak Hill
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oak Hill; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Oak Hill 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 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 Oak Hill. The highest rating among the 16 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 4, 1974, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 4, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 16, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oak Hill. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1968, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oak Hill.
Compare Oak Hill's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oak Hill
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 58 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 Oak Hill: 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 Oak Hill
By decade
- 2020s2
- 1990s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s5(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.31 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 26, 1990 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1961 | F2 | in town | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 18 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 25 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 18, 1966 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 16, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oak Hill
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Oak Hill since 1968, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 5, 2010. The most recent report is from April 16, 2024. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oak Hill
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oak Hill, WV, in Oak Hill at 2,040 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 102 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. That 48.0 inches is more than at 49 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (65%). Beckley, 14 miles south, has its own station (Beckley Va Hospital, WV): 43.5 inches a year, 4.5 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.5 | 9 |
| Feb | 44 | 25 | 3.3 | 8 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 4.2 | 10 |
| Apr | 64 | 41 | 4.2 | 9 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 5.1 | 10 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 5.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 81 | 61 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Sep | 75 | 54 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 54 | 33 | 2.9 | 8 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 3.9 | 9 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 48.0 | 102 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oak Hill, WV (2,040 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 Oak Hill
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oak Hill: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 15 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on March 1, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 15. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Oak Hill.
June 1, 2015: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Oak Hill — 1 killed, 2 injured.
February 16, 2023: flood 8 miles from the centre of Oak Hill — 1 killed, $2,000 damage.
March 13, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of Oak Hill — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Oak Hill's ZIP code 25901 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $110,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 17% 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, 7 have fewer than Oak Hill.
Fayette County, which includes Oak Hill, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on October 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.4 million a year, the 27th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.1 million (84%), 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.