NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parsons, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Parsons, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- 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 Parsons
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Parsons; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The record near Parsons begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 22 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Parsons has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 72% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 3, 1980, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 19, 1967, killed 1 person. Of the 13, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on June 21, 2016. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Parsons. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Parsons.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Parsons
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Parsons: 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 Parsons
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1967 | F3 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 20 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1977 | F2 | 20 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 15 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 23 mi | 4.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1985 | F1 | 8 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 17 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1957 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1954 | F1 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 5, 1992 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1967 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parsons
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Parsons since 1960, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 4, 2012. The most recent report is from May 15, 2018. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parsons
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Parsons 3 SE, WV, 5 miles southeast of Parsons at 1,775 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 55.1 inches over 115 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 133 nights a year. Snowfall averages 55.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 55.1 inches is more than at 68 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (91%). Belington, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Belington, WV): 51.7 inches a year, 3.4 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 22 | 3.8 | 11 | 16.8 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 3.9 | 10 | 15.0 |
| Mar | 52 | 31 | 4.5 | 10 | 9.2 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 4.6 | 10 | 1.6 |
| May | 73 | 50 | 5.8 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 6.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 5.8 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 62 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 53 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 43 | 27 | 4.4 | 10 | 9.3 |
| Year | 63 | 42 | 55.1 | 115 | 55.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Parsons 3 SE, WV (1,775 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 Parsons
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 74 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parsons: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $826,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on July 27, 2014. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 17. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 53 have had fewer than Parsons.
May 19, 2019: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Parsons — 1 killed, 2 injured.
July 8, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Parsons — $150,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Parsons's ZIP code 26287 have filed 312 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1996: 190 claims (61% of all) and $4.8 million. 61% 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, 116 have fewer than Parsons.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1996 | 190 | $4.8 million |
Tucker County, which includes Parsons, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 7 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). 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 Tucker County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.5 million a year, the 54th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.0 million (88%), 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 Parsons
- Belington, WV17 mi
- Tunnelton, WV17 mi
- Elkins, WV18 mi
- Philippi, WV19 mi
- Terra Alta, WV23 mi
- Kingwood, WV23 mi
- Grafton, WV23 mi
- Oakland, MD24 mi
- Beverly, WV25 mi
- Flemington, WV25 mi
- Reedsville, WV26 mi
- Maysville, WV27 mi
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