NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Spencer, 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 Spencer, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Hugo in 1989. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 6
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Spencer
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Spencer; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Spencer begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Hugo in 1989, a tropical storm 17 miles away. 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 Spencer. The highest rating among the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 23, 2016, came within 21 miles. Of the 6, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Spencer. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.3 inches. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Spencer.
Compare Spencer's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Spencer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 32 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 Spencer: 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 Spencer
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2016 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.06 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1989 | F1 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2015 | EF0 | 18 mi | 1.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 19, 2008 | EF0 | 22 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 1990 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Spencer
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Spencer since 1956, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.3 inches, fell on September 30, 2016. The most recent report is from March 3, 2020. June has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Spencer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Spencer, WV, 2 miles northwest of Spencer at 972 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 22°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 47.5 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.5 inches is more than at 45 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (60%). Kenna, 18 miles southwest, has its own station (Ripley, WV): 46.2 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 22 | 3.4 | 8 | 9.0 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 3.2 | 8 | 6.3 |
| Mar | 53 | 30 | 4.3 | 9 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 65 | 39 | 3.7 | 9 | 0.2 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 5.0 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 44 | 27 | 3.7 | 9 | 4.1 |
| Year | 63 | 41 | 47.5 | 97 | 24.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Spencer, WV (972 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 Spencer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 117 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Spencer: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 15 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $8.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on July 14, 2015. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 77 have had fewer than Spencer.
May 29, 2019: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Spencer — 1 killed, $500 damage.
NWS: “A 55 year old female was killed when a large oak tree fell on her while she was getting her mail.”
February 13, 2024: flood 2 miles from the centre of Spencer — 1 killed.
NWS: “Tanner Run flooded the Spencer Middle School baseball field. A fatality occurred when a man fell asleep in the dugout and was swept away.”
June 13, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Spencer — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “A downpour occurred between 0500 and 0700E, followed by a lull, with a final downpour around 1045E to 1115E. The heaviest band was oriented west to east along the Route 33 corridor on south to the headwaters of the Pocatalico River.”
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 Spencer's ZIP code 25276 have filed 79 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 28. 9% 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, 70 have fewer than Spencer.
Roane County, which includes Spencer, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 floods, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Roane County a Relatively 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 $9.9 million a year, the 35th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (89%), 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 Spencer
- Kenna, WV18 mi
- Ripley, WV20 mi
- Elizabeth, WV20 mi
- Clendenin, WV22 mi
- Sissonville, WV23 mi
- Elkview, WV24 mi
- Ravenswood, WV25 mi
- Walker, WV28 mi
- Mineral Wells, WV28 mi
- Glenville, WV29 mi
- Gassaway, WV30 mi
- Davisville, WV30 mi
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