NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Petersburg, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Petersburg, West Virginia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 6
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Petersburg
The strongest storm to pass near Petersburg was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Petersburg begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm directly overhead. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 3 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 14 systems, one has come since 2000. Petersburg has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 83% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on April 28, 2011; its path came within 22 miles. Of the 6, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Petersburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1991, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Petersburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Petersburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | overhead | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1955 | DianeAug 18 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 20 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 4 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 14 | 57 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 14 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 Petersburg: 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 Petersburg
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF2 | 22 mi | 33.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1985 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1998 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1998 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1997 | F0 | 4 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1992 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Petersburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Petersburg since 1991, made on 11 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 9, 2021. The most recent report is from April 9, 2021. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Petersburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Petersburg, WV, 3 miles north of Petersburg at 960 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. May and July are the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 40.4 inches. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (20.8 of 40.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 14 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 81°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 125 nights a year. That 40.4 inches is more than at 8 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (11%). Moorefield, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Moorefield 1 SSE, WV): 35.4 inches a year, 5.0 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 56 | 31 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 68 | 40 | 3.5 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.5 |
| Jun | 84 | 59 | 4.2 |
| Jul | 89 | 63 | 4.5 |
| Aug | 86 | 62 | 3.6 |
| Sep | 81 | 54 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 2.7 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 2.5 |
| Dec | 47 | 27 | 2.9 |
| Year | 67 | 42 | 40.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Petersburg, WV (960 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 Petersburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 137 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Petersburg: 105 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 16 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $273,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 19, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 48 have had fewer than Petersburg.
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 Petersburg's ZIP code 26847 have filed 136 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Fran in 1996: 62 claims (46% of all) and $1.6 million, then Flooding in 1985 with 54. 85% 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, 90 have fewer than Petersburg.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Fran1996 | 62 | $1.6 million |
| Flooding1985 | 54 | $1.0 million |
Grant County, which includes Petersburg, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 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 Grant 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 $8.2 million a year, the 39th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (79%), 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 Petersburg
- Maysville, WV9 mi
- Moorefield, WV10 mi
- New Creek, WV23 mi
- Franklin, WV24 mi
- Mount Jackson, VA27 mi
- Burlington, WV29 mi
- Broadway, VA29 mi
- Edinburg, VA30 mi
- Timberville, VA30 mi
- Parsons, WV31 mi
- Romney, WV33 mi
- New Market, VA33 mi
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