NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Richwood, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Richwood, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 9
- 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 Richwood
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Richwood; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1878, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Richwood begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 68 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Richwood. The strongest of the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 4, 1974; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 9, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Richwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1996, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Richwood.
Compare Richwood's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Richwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 55 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 Richwood: 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 Richwood
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.31 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 4 mi | 5.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1969 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 12 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 18, 1966 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1970 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 2024 | Unrated | 18 mi | 2.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Richwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Richwood since 1996, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on July 7, 2008. The most recent report is from April 14, 2025. April and July have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Richwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Richwood 1SSE, WV, 2 miles southeast of Richwood at 3,090 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 56.0 inches over 117 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 122 nights a year. Snowfall averages 100.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.0 inches is more than at 70 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (93%). Cowen, 14 miles north, has its own station (Webster Springs 8 N, WV): 60.2 inches a year, 4.2 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 20 | 4.3 | 13 | 26.1 |
| Feb | 41 | 22 | 4.0 | 11 | 21.9 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 5.3 | 11 | 16.0 |
| Apr | 60 | 39 | 4.8 | 10 | 5.3 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 5.8 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 74 | 56 | 5.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 60 | 6.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 53 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 51 | 33 | 3.9 | 9 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 42 | 25 | 4.5 | 11 | 22.1 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 56.0 | 117 | 100.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Richwood 1SSE, WV (3,090 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 Richwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 43 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Richwood: 31 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 2 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 2, 2024.
June 23, 2016: flood 10 miles from the centre of Richwood — $5.0 million damage.
June 23, 2016: flood 10 miles from the centre of Richwood — $4.0 million damage.
July 13, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Richwood — $350,000 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 Richwood's ZIP code 26261 have filed 150 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $6.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Summer severe storms in 2016: 43 claims (29% of all) and $4.0 million, then Heavy rains in 2001 with 24. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 57. 49% 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, 95 have fewer than Richwood.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Summer severe storms2016 | 43 | $4.0 million |
| Heavy rains2001 | 24 | $328,000 |
Nicholas County, which includes Richwood, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 hurricanes, 3 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on May 22, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Nicholas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.2 million a year, the 28th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.3 million (58%), 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 Richwood
- Craigsville, WV9 mi
- Cowen, WV14 mi
- Summersville, WV19 mi
- Webster Springs, WV20 mi
- Rainelle, WV22 mi
- Marlinton, WV26 mi
- Lewisburg, WV29 mi
- Sutton, WV30 mi
- White Sulphur Springs, WV30 mi
- Meadow Bridge, WV30 mi
- Fayetteville, WV33 mi
- Ronceverte, WV34 mi
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