NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rainelle, 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 Rainelle, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 11 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 11
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Rainelle
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rainelle; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Rainelle begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 54 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. 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 Rainelle. The strongest of the 11 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 4, 1974; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 11, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 6. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rainelle. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 32 times since 1979, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rainelle.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rainelle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 66 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 Rainelle: 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 Rainelle
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 5 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 5.31 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F2 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F2 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1961 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 14 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 18, 1966 | F1 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | F1 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F0 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 11 of 11, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rainelle
The Storm Prediction Center has 32 hail reports within 10 miles of Rainelle since 1979, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 23, 2016. The most recent report is from April 16, 2024. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rainelle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rupert 4 N, WV, 7 miles northeast of Rainelle at 3,319 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 53.3 inches over 114 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 136 nights a year. That 53.3 inches is more than at 67 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (89%). Meadow Bridge, 8 miles south, has its own station (Alderson, WV): 40.7 inches a year, 12.6 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 19 | 4.1 | 12 |
| Feb | 38 | 21 | 4.0 | 10 |
| Mar | 46 | 28 | 5.1 | 11 |
| Apr | 59 | 38 | 4.4 | 10 |
| May | 67 | 47 | 5.6 | 11 |
| Jun | 73 | 55 | 4.8 | 9 |
| Jul | 77 | 58 | 5.4 | 10 |
| Aug | 76 | 57 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Sep | 71 | 51 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Dec | 38 | 23 | 4.7 | 11 |
| Year | 57 | 39 | 53.3 | 114 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rupert 4 N, WV (3,319 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 Rainelle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rainelle: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 21 floods and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 16 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $45.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on June 29, 2012. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 21. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 74 have had fewer than Rainelle.
June 23, 2016: flash flood in Rainelle — 16 killed, $40.0 million damage.
NWS: “Unprecedented flash flooding occurred across large parts of Greenbrier County but especially in a swath across the central part of the county where an estimated 6 to 10 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours.”
April 14, 2007: heavy rain event 10 miles from the centre of Rainelle — 3 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A motorist hydroplaned during a period of heavy rain on Interstate 64, spun out of control, and flipped over once reaching the median. The driver and two passengers were taken to the hospital.”
February 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Rainelle — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms winds blew a tree over onto a truck that was traveling past the coal mine on Anjen Road. An occupant of the truck sustained a minor injury.”
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 Rainelle's ZIP code 25962 have filed 189 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $4.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Summer severe storms in 2016: 51 claims (27% of all) and $2.7 million, then Flooding in 1996 with 12. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 78. 34% 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, 100 have fewer than Rainelle.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Summer severe storms2016 | 51 | $2.7 million |
| Flooding1996 | 12 | $41,000 |
Greenbrier County, which includes Rainelle, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 7 severe storms, 3 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). 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 Greenbrier County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.5 million a year, the 12th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.2 million (71%), 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 Rainelle
- Meadow Bridge, WV8 mi
- Alderson, WV18 mi
- Fayetteville, WV19 mi
- Oak Hill, WV19 mi
- Hinton, WV21 mi
- Shady Spring, WV21 mi
- Lewisburg, WV22 mi
- Richwood, WV22 mi
- Mount Hope, WV23 mi
- Beaver, WV23 mi
- Ronceverte, WV23 mi
- Daniels, WV24 mi
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