NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sistersville, 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 Sistersville, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 12
- 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 Sistersville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sistersville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Sistersville begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 72 miles away. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 68% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sistersville. The strongest of the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on October 1, 1986; its path came within 20 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 4. The most recent tornado was on February 28, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sistersville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sistersville.
Compare Sistersville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sistersville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 10 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 Sistersville: 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 Sistersville
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 2000s2
- 1990s4
- 1980s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 1986 | F3 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 28, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 4.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | F2 | 17 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 9, 1998 | F1 | 20 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1996 | F1 | 5 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 1986 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1969 | F1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1990 | F0 | 14 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1990 | F0 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sistersville
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Sistersville since 1976, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 21, 1976. The most recent report is from March 16, 2025. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sistersville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Middlebourne 3 ESE, WV, 8 miles southeast of Sistersville at 779 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.3 inches is more than at 43 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (57%). Paden City, 4 miles northeast, has its own station (Hannibal Locks & Dam, OH): 45.1 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 19 | 3.7 | 8 | 11.0 |
| Feb | 43 | 21 | 3.3 | 7 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 52 | 28 | 4.0 | 9 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 65 | 37 | 3.9 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 48 | 4.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 56 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 61 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 40 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 30 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 3.8 | 8 | 3.9 |
| Year | 64 | 40 | 47.3 | 95 | 27.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Middlebourne 3 ESE, WV (779 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 Sistersville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 177 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sistersville: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 floods, 25 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on May 28, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 25. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 96 have had fewer than Sistersville.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Sistersville — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
April 3, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Sistersville — 1 killed.
May 25, 2019: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Sistersville — $1.0 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 Sistersville's ZIP code 26175 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $46,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 72% 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, 17 have fewer than Sistersville.
Tyler County, which includes Sistersville, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1985, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tyler County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.1 million a year, the 44th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.3 million (88%), 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 Sistersville
- Paden City, WV4 mi
- Middlebourne, WV7 mi
- New Matamoras, OH8 mi
- New Martinsville, WV10 mi
- Woodsfield, OH15 mi
- Saint Marys, WV16 mi
- Pennsboro, WV17 mi
- West Union, WV20 mi
- Powhatan Point, OH23 mi
- Harrisville, WV26 mi
- Marietta, OH26 mi
- Waverly, WV27 mi
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