NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Paw Paw, 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
20 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Paw Paw, West Virginia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sandy in 2012. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Paw Paw
The strongest storm to pass near Paw Paw was an unnamed storm in 1878, a Category 1 hurricane with 92 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1893, whose centre came within 23 miles. The record near Paw Paw begins with an unnamed storm in 1876; the most recent system was Sandy in 2012, a tropical storm 50 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 4 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 20 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Paw Paw is tied for the most hurricanes within 75 miles among the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 2, 1998; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 29, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on June 17, 2025. Paw Paw has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1993, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Paw Paw.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Paw Paw
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SandyOct 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1954 | HazelOct 15 | 55 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormAug 24 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 23 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 23 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 23 | 74 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 18 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Paw Paw: 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 Paw Paw
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s6
- 2000s7
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1998 | F4 | 23 mi | 36.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 13, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2014 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2012 | EF1 | 13 mi | 1.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 2004 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1998 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1998 | F1 | 24 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 6 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 17, 1994 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 2, 1979 | F1 | 19 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Paw Paw
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Paw Paw since 1993, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from May 27, 2024. May has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Paw Paw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cacapon St Pk #2, WV, 8 miles east of Paw Paw at 958 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 42.8 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (22.8 of 42.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 20 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 77°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. That 42.8 inches is more than at 20 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (27%). Capon Bridge, 14 miles south, has its own station (Wardensville R M Farm, WV): 37.4 inches a year, 5.4 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 43 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 52 | 30 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 64 | 40 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 66 | 42 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 42.8 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cacapon St Pk #2, WV (958 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 Paw Paw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 119 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Paw Paw: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 floods and 4 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $250,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on June 22, 2020.
June 1, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Paw Paw — 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 Paw Paw's ZIP code 25434 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $349,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1996, with 15. 78% 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, 28 have fewer than Paw Paw.
Morgan County, which includes Paw Paw, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 3, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morgan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.7 million a year, the 43rd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (80%), 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 Paw Paw
- Berkeley Springs, WV12 mi
- Cross Junction, VA13 mi
- Capon Bridge, WV14 mi
- Augusta, WV17 mi
- Fort Ashby, WV17 mi
- Hancock, MD18 mi
- Gore, VA18 mi
- Gerrardstown, WV19 mi
- Ridgeley, WV19 mi
- Hedgesville, WV20 mi
- Cumberland, MD21 mi
- Romney, WV21 mi
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