NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tunnelton, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Tunnelton, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Isabel in 2003. Since 1950, 30 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 30
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Tunnelton
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tunnelton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1896, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Tunnelton begins with an unnamed storm in 1878; the most recent system was Isabel in 2003, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 9 systems, one has come since 2000. Tunnelton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 72% of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 30 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 3, 1980, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on June 16, 1982, killed 1 person. Of the 30, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2024. Tunnelton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 161 West Virginia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tunnelton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tunnelton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | IsabelSep 19 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 6 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 29 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 19 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 30 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tunnelton: 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 Tunnelton
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s7
- 2000s1
- 1990s3
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 7 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Jun 2, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1977 | F2 | 13 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jul 13, 1971 | F2 | 23 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 22, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1967 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1982 | F1 | 17 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2017 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2016 | EF1 | 19 mi | 0.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 11 mi | 4.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2014 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 30, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tunnelton
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Tunnelton since 1975, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 28, 2016. The most recent report is from May 4, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tunnelton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rowlesburg 1, WV, 6 miles southeast of Tunnelton at 1,423 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. July is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 57.3 inches over 111 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 56.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 57.3 inches is more than at 73 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (97%). Kingwood, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Terra Alta #1, WV): 57.1 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 20 | 4.4 | 9 | 19.7 |
| Feb | 43 | 22 | 4.1 | 8 | 13.3 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 5.0 | 11 | 10.2 |
| Apr | 64 | 37 | 4.9 | 10 | 0.8 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 5.4 | 11 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 5.5 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 6.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 54 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 53 | 31 | 3.7 | 8 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 4.7 | 9 | 10.6 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 57.3 | 111 | 56.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rowlesburg 1, WV (1,423 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 Tunnelton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 167 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tunnelton: 148 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 9 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 29, 2012. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 17 have had fewer than Tunnelton.
May 19, 2019: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Tunnelton — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “One man was killed and two were injured when a tree fell on them while on a kayaking trip near Seven Islands on the Cheat River. html.”
July 8, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Tunnelton — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
April 3, 2024: flood 6 miles from the centre of Tunnelton — $251,000 damage.
NWS: “Flooding along Route 50 and Route 92. Preston County declared $250,000 in damage from storms between April 2-6th.”
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 Tunnelton's ZIP code 26444 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $23,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 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, 7 have fewer than Tunnelton.
Preston County, which includes Tunnelton, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 floods, 3 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 Preston County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.1 million a year, the 37th highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 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.
Cities near Tunnelton
- Kingwood, WV7 mi
- Reedsville, WV9 mi
- Masontown, WV13 mi
- Terra Alta, WV13 mi
- Albright, WV13 mi
- Grafton, WV14 mi
- Parsons, WV17 mi
- Morgantown, WV20 mi
- Oakland, MD20 mi
- Bruceton Mills, WV21 mi
- Philippi, WV21 mi
- Flemington, WV21 mi
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