NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Peterstown, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Peterstown, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Peterstown
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Peterstown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The record near Peterstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 49 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Peterstown has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 80% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on October 7, 2014, came within 23 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on August 31, 2021. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Peterstown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1995, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Peterstown.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Peterstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1952 | AbleSep 1 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 62 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 Peterstown: 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 Peterstown
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s5
- 1990s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1976 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 2021 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 18 mi | 1.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 23, 2017 | EF1 | 19 mi | 1.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 18 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 11, 1998 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Peterstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Peterstown since 1995, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on June 2, 1998. The most recent report is from August 6, 2020. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Peterstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pearisburg 4 SSE, VA, 11 miles southeast of Peterstown at 1,678 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. May and July are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 42.3 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (21.2 of 42.3 inches). September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 76°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 22.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 42.3 inches is more than at 18 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (24%). Athens, 12 miles west, has its own station (Bluestone Lake, WV): 41.2 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 3.1 | 6 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 2.6 | 6 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 55 | 31 | 3.7 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 73 | 48 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 31 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 3.3 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Year | 64 | 41 | 42.3 | 81 | 22.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pearisburg 4 SSE, VA (1,678 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 Peterstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 134 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Peterstown: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 floods, 17 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 8, 2008. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 17. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 53 have had fewer than Peterstown.
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Peterstown — 1 injured, $2,500 damage.
May 22, 2020: flood 5 miles from the centre of Peterstown — $970,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Peterstown — $400,000 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
Monroe County, which includes Peterstown, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 droughts). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on February 26, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.3 million a year, the 47th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (69%), 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 Peterstown
- Narrows, VA7 mi
- Pearisburg, VA10 mi
- Pembroke, VA12 mi
- Athens, WV12 mi
- Princeton, WV14 mi
- Hinton, WV18 mi
- Alderson, WV22 mi
- Dublin, VA23 mi
- Shady Spring, WV23 mi
- Cool Ridge, WV24 mi
- Rock, WV24 mi
- Radford, VA24 mi
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