NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Point Pleasant, 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 Point Pleasant, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 22 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 22
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Point Pleasant
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Point Pleasant; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Point Pleasant begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 57 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 Point Pleasant. The strongest of the 22 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 23, 1968; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 22, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Point Pleasant has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Point Pleasant has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Point Pleasant
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 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 Point Pleasant: 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 Point Pleasant
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s3
- 2000s4
- 1990s5
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 1968 | F5 | 6 mi | 34 mi | 7 / 93 |
| May 8, 2002 | F2 | 9 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 15, 2000 | F2 | 15 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1967 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF1 | 14 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2007 | EF1 | 9 mi | 1.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2001 | F1 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 22, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Point Pleasant
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Point Pleasant since 1974, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on April 29, 2014. The most recent report is from June 3, 2023. April has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Point Pleasant
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gallipolis, OH, 5 miles southwest of Point Pleasant at 578 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 44.7 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. That 44.7 inches is more than at 28 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (37%). Letart, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Southside 3 NNW, WV): 46.3 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 23 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Mar | 55 | 32 | 4.1 | 9 |
| Apr | 67 | 42 | 3.9 | 9 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.5 | 9 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 68 | 45 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 2.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 45 | 28 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 44.7 | 87 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gallipolis, OH (578 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 Point Pleasant
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 186 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Point Pleasant: 121 thunderstorm wind reports, 38 floods, 23 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on June 27, 2007. May has had the most flash floods, 12 of 23. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 85 have had fewer than Point Pleasant.
July 25, 2016: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Point Pleasant — 1 killed.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Point Pleasant — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and large branches were blown down. Electricity was lost to about 13,700 customers.”
June 13, 2013: heavy rain event 4 miles from the centre of Point Pleasant — $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Point Pleasant's ZIP code 25550 have filed 41 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $234,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 15 claims (37% of all) and $123,000, then Not a named storm in 1979 with 13. 73% 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, 52 have fewer than Point Pleasant.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 15 | $123,000 |
| Not a named storm1979 | 13 | $11,000 |
Mason County, which includes Point Pleasant, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storms, on May 13, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mason County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.5 million a year, the 23rd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.4 million (86%), 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 Point Pleasant
- Gallipolis, OH7 mi
- Gallipolis Ferry, WV8 mi
- Letart, WV8 mi
- Middleport, OH10 mi
- Bidwell, OH11 mi
- Racine, OH13 mi
- Leon, WV14 mi
- Pomeroy, OH16 mi
- Vinton, OH16 mi
- Patriot, OH18 mi
- Crown City, OH19 mi
- Ravenswood, WV22 mi
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