NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parkersburg, 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 Parkersburg, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 20
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Parkersburg
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Parkersburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Parkersburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 73 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 Parkersburg. The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on September 16, 2010; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 20, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Parkersburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 104 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Parkersburg has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
Compare Parkersburg's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Parkersburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 3 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 Parkersburg: 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 Parkersburg
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF3 | 12 mi | 9.05 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Jul 10, 2003 | F2 | 4 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 8, 1998 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | F2 | 16 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 24, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2024 | EF1 | 8 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1973 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1951 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1950 | F1 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parkersburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 104 hail reports within 10 miles of Parkersburg since 1967, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 9, 2015. The most recent report is from August 13, 2025. May and June have the most reports, 25 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parkersburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Parkersburg, WV, 1 mile northwest of Parkersburg at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 44.2 inches over 89 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 106 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.2 inches is more than at 27 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (36%). Williamstown, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Marietta Wwtp, OH): 45.4 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 3.4 | 7 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 44 | 26 | 3.0 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 54 | 33 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 67 | 42 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 35 | 2.8 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 45 | 29 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Year | 65 | 45 | 44.2 | 89 | 11.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Parkersburg, WV (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.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Parkersburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 265 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parkersburg: 191 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 31 floods, 6 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 5 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $7.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 8, 2014. August has had the most flash floods, 9 of 36. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 120 have had fewer than Parkersburg.
January 12, 2018: flood 2 miles from the centre of Parkersburg — 2 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were flooded across northern Wood County. Worthington Creek came out of its banks east of Parkersburg closing the intersection of Core Road and 36th Street.”
August 17, 2017: heavy rain event 6 miles from the centre of Parkersburg — 1 killed.
April 4, 2024: flood 4 miles from the centre of Parkersburg — 1 killed.
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 Parkersburg's 2 ZIP codes have filed 549 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $8.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1998: 146 claims (27% of all) and $2.1 million, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 92 and Not a named storm in 1979 with 34. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 107. 50% 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, 125 have fewer than Parkersburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1998 | 146 | $2.1 million |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 92 | $2.6 million |
| Not a named storm1979 | 34 | $176,000 |
Wood County, which includes Parkersburg, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wood County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.8 million a year, the 3rd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.1 million (90%), 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.