NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sophia, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sophia, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 14
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Sophia
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sophia; the strongest was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. The record near Sophia begins with an unnamed storm in 1915; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989. The busiest decade was the 1930s, with 2 systems. None of the 4 systems has come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site, 95% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Sophia. The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 4, 1974, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 4, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 14, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on October 7, 2014. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sophia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Sophia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
Compare Sophia's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sophia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 18 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sophia: 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 Sophia
By decade
- 2010s2
- 1980s1
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 15 mi | 32.2 mi | 1 / 11 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F3 | 2 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 25, 1961 | F2 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 7, 2014 | EF1 | 18 mi | 5.54 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 9, 1980 | F1 | 4 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1975 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1974 | F1 | 9 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 14, 1967 | F1 | 7 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F1 | 4 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 12 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sophia
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Sophia since 1974, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 8 days, most recently March 23, 2011. The most recent report is from July 12, 2022. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sophia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Beckley Va Hospital, WV, 6 miles northeast of Sophia at 2,330 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 19°F. July is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 43.5 inches over 93 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 139 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.5 inches is more than at 24 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (32%). Beaver, 9 miles east, has its own station (Beckley Raleigh Co Airport, WV): 43.5 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 19 | 3.1 | 8 | 12.8 |
| Feb | 43 | 21 | 2.9 | 7 | 10.0 |
| Mar | 51 | 27 | 3.8 | 9 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 63 | 36 | 3.8 | 9 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 46 | 4.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 54 | 4.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 53 | 29 | 2.7 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 43 | 23 | 3.5 | 8 | 7.9 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 43.5 | 93 | 38.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Beckley Va Hospital, WV (2,330 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 Sophia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 163 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sophia: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 18 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 68 mph, on June 29, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 19. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 64 have had fewer than Sophia.
March 13, 2010: flood 6 miles from the centre of Sophia — 2 killed, $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Major stream flooding along such streams as Piney, Beaver, Little Beaver, Little Whitestick, and the headwaters of Dunloup Creek, including Maple Fork. Damage was less along the Marsh Fork and Clear Fork drainage in the western portion of the county.”
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Sophia — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
June 29, 2012: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sophia — $500,000 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 Sophia's ZIP code 25921 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $98,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 32% 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, 25 have fewer than Sophia.
Raleigh County, which includes Sophia, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 7 floods, 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 Raleigh 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 $20.0 million a year, the 14th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.5 million (82%), 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.