NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rock, 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 Rock, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 11 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 11
- 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 Rock
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rock; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Rock begins with an unnamed storm in 1932; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 59 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 89% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rock. The strongest of the 11 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 4, 1974; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 11, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2014. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rock. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1994, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Rock has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rock
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Rock: 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 Rock
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 14 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 4 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 21 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1975 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 16 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 17, 1967 | F0 | 19 mi | 1.3 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 Rock
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Rock since 1994, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 45 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 May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rock
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bluefield Mercer Co Airport, WV, 7 miles south of Rock 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, 12 miles east, 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 Rock
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 209 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rock: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 55 flash floods, 38 floods, 18 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $14.9 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, 22 of 55. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 141 have had fewer than Rock.
June 24, 2019: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Rock — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck a tree, which then fell on top of a house. A limb from the tree injured one person as it fell.”
May 26, 2024: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Rock — 1 injured, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “Sparks from live power lines blown down by thunderstorm winds caused a structural fire, and one injury was reported.”
May 9, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Rock — $4.0 million 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 Rock's ZIP code 24747 have filed 36 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $156,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2001, with 11. 17% 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, 47 have fewer than Rock.
Mercer County, which includes Rock, 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 Rock
- Bluefield, WV8 mi
- Princeton, WV11 mi
- Athens, WV12 mi
- Bluefield, VA14 mi
- Mullens, WV17 mi
- Cool Ridge, WV19 mi
- Welch, WV20 mi
- Bland, VA22 mi
- Sophia, WV22 mi
- North Tazewell, VA23 mi
- Narrows, VA23 mi
- Peterstown, WV24 mi
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