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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Paden City, 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 Paden City, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
6

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
12

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
1

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Paden City

None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Paden City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Paden City begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 68% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Paden City. The strongest of the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on October 1, 1986; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 12, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on February 28, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Paden City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Paden City.

Compare Paden City's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Paden City

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Paden City, West Virginia, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2003IsabelSep 1968 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 5
1989HugoSep 2220 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 5
1979FredericSep 144 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1957AudreyJun 2914 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1915Unnamed 1915 stormOct 113 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 2113 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Paden City: 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 Paden City

By decade

  • 2020s1
  • 2010s1
  • 2000s2
  • 1990s4
  • 1980s3(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s1
Strongest tornadoes near Paden City, West Virginia
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Oct 1, 1986F323 mi1 mi0 / 1
Feb 28, 2024EF217 mi4.05 mi0 / 0
Jul 28, 1981F221 mi6.2 mi0 / 8
Jul 27, 2014EF122 mi4.1 mi0 / 0
Apr 28, 2002F114 mi1 mi0 / 0
May 23, 2000F16 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jan 9, 1998F116 mi11 mi0 / 0
Jul 30, 1996F12 mi10 mi0 / 0
Oct 4, 1986F120 mi1 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1969F120 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jul 22, 1990F018 mi13 mi0 / 0
Jun 22, 1990F017 mi1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Paden City

The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Paden City since 1976, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 21, 1976. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. June has the most reports, 20.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Paden City

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH, 6 miles northeast of Paden City at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.1 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. That 45.1 inches is more than at 30 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (40%). Sistersville, 4 miles southwest, has its own station (Middlebourne 3 ESE, WV): 47.3 inches a year, 2.2 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan38203.78
Feb42223.17
Mar51293.98
Apr64383.98
May73484.59
Jun80574.58
Jul83624.78
Aug83613.66
Sep77543.76
Oct66433.06
Nov53322.96
Dec43263.68
Year634145.188

Averages for 1991–2020 at Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH (620 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.

West Virginia weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Paden City

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 157 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Paden City: 105 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 floods and 22 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 27, 2014. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 22. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Paden City.

  • April 2, 2024: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Paden City — $934,000 damage.

  • June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Paden City — $750,000 damage.

  • March 4, 2015: flood 9 miles from the centre of Paden City — $200,000 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

Wetzel County, which includes Paden City, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 8 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wetzel County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.2 million a year, the 22nd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.2 million (94%), 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.

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