NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Princeton, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Princeton, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- 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 Princeton
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Princeton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Princeton begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 51 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Princeton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The strongest of the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 4, 1974; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 10, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2019. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Princeton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 2000, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Princeton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Princeton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 5 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 12 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 74 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 Princeton: 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 Princeton
By decade
- 2010s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2019 | EF1 | 22 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 8 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 25 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F0 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 17, 1967 | F0 | 24 mi | 1.3 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 Princeton
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Princeton since 2000, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 8, 2019. The most recent report is from June 4, 2023. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Princeton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bluefield Mercer Co Airport, WV, 11 miles west of Princeton at 2,870 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 41.1 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. Snowfall averages 34.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 41.1 inches is more than at 11 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (15%). Athens, 7 miles north, has its own station (Bluestone Lake, WV): 41.2 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 3.0 | 7 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 43 | 27 | 2.9 | 7 | 8.8 |
| Mar | 51 | 33 | 3.8 | 9 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 63 | 43 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 51 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 58 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 62 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 61 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 45 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 28 | 3.0 | 7 | 6.6 |
| Year | 61 | 43 | 41.1 | 88 | 34.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bluefield Mercer Co Airport, WV (2,870 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 Princeton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Princeton: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 32 floods, 26 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 9, 2003. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 26. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 100 have had fewer than Princeton.
June 24, 2019: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Princeton — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
March 13, 2010: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Princeton — $1.8 million damage.
March 13, 2010: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Princeton — $1.8 million damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding along the East River caused damage to several homes in the Oakvale area. Many residents were evacuated.”
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 Princeton's 2 ZIP codes have filed 155 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1995, with 26. 10% 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, 97 have fewer than Princeton.
Mercer County, which includes Princeton, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). 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 Mercer County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.5 million a year, the 19th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.6 million (73%), 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 Princeton
- Athens, WV7 mi
- Rock, WV11 mi
- Narrows, VA12 mi
- Bluefield, WV12 mi
- Peterstown, WV14 mi
- Pearisburg, VA16 mi
- Bland, VA17 mi
- Bluefield, VA20 mi
- Cool Ridge, WV21 mi
- Pembroke, VA22 mi
- Hinton, WV23 mi
- Shady Spring, WV25 mi
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