NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pennsboro, 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 Pennsboro, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 10
- 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 Pennsboro
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pennsboro; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. The record near Pennsboro begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 25 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 Pennsboro. The strongest of the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on October 1, 1986; its path came within 10 miles. Of the 10, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pennsboro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1989, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pennsboro.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pennsboro
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 6 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 Pennsboro: 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 Pennsboro
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 1986 | F3 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | F2 | 14 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 9, 2024 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 7 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1996 | F1 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 1986 | F1 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1950 | F1 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 18 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1989 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 10 of 10, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pennsboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Pennsboro since 1989, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on February 27, 1996. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pennsboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is W Union 2, WV, 10 miles east of Pennsboro at 806 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 21°F. July is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 49.2 inches over 98 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 132 nights a year. Snowfall averages 23.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 49.2 inches is more than at 58 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (77%). Saint Marys, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Newport, OH): 45.6 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 21 | 3.7 | 9 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 44 | 22 | 3.5 | 8 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 54 | 29 | 4.3 | 9 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 67 | 38 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 49 | 5.1 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 58 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 54 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 41 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 31 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 45 | 26 | 4.0 | 9 | 3.4 |
| Year | 65 | 41 | 49.2 | 98 | 23.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at W Union 2, WV (806 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 Pennsboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 183 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pennsboro: 133 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 20 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 4, 2008. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Pennsboro.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Pennsboro — $750,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Pennsboro — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Three lattice steel towers carrying 500 kilowatt electric lines were bent over and collapsed. A fourth tower was pulled off kilter.”
June 3, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Pennsboro — $300,000 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 Pennsboro's ZIP code 26415 have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $265,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1998: 17 claims (55% of all) and $165,000. 55% 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, 39 have fewer than Pennsboro.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1998 | 17 | $165,000 |
Ritchie County, which includes Pennsboro, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 3 floods, 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 Ritchie County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding and 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 $5.9 million a year, the 49th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 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.
Cities near Pennsboro
- West Union, WV10 mi
- Harrisville, WV10 mi
- Saint Marys, WV12 mi
- Middlebourne, WV14 mi
- Sistersville, WV17 mi
- New Matamoras, OH18 mi
- Salem, WV21 mi
- Paden City, WV21 mi
- Waverly, WV22 mi
- Walker, WV24 mi
- New Martinsville, WV25 mi
- Glenville, WV25 mi
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