NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Williamstown, 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 Williamstown, West Virginia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 19 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 19
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Williamstown
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Williamstown; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. The record near Williamstown begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 74 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 Williamstown. The strongest of the 19 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on September 16, 2010; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 19, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2024. Of the 161 West Virginia cities, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Williamstown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 95 times since 1973, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Williamstown has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 161 West Virginia cities.
Compare Williamstown's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Williamstown
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 22 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 9 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 Williamstown: 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 Williamstown
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.05 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Jul 10, 2003 | F2 | 12 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 8, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1981 | F2 | 8 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 24, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2024 | EF1 | 8 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 27, 2014 | EF1 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2000 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1973 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1951 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1950 | F1 | 8 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF0 | 16 mi | 0.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 19, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Williamstown
The Storm Prediction Center has 95 hail reports within 10 miles of Williamstown since 1973, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on February 27, 2023. The most recent report is from May 5, 2025. June has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Williamstown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marietta Wwtp, OH, 2 miles northeast of Williamstown at 610 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.4 inches over 92 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.4 inches is more than at 34 of the 75 West Virginia stations used on this site (45%). Vienna, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Parkersburg, WV): 44.2 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 23 | 3.5 | 8 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 43 | 24 | 3.1 | 7 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 53 | 31 | 4.0 | 8 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 4.0 | 9 | 0.1 |
| May | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 44 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 44 | 28 | 3.6 | 8 | 2.1 |
| Year | 64 | 43 | 45.4 | 92 | 16.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marietta Wwtp, OH (610 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 Williamstown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 241 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Williamstown: 167 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 floods, 28 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $8.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 14, 2015. April has had the most flash floods, 9 of 28. Of the 161 West Virginia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Williamstown.
May 23, 2000: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Williamstown — 3 injured, $45,000 damage.
July 30, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Williamstown — 1 injured, $400,000 damage.
April 23, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Williamstown — 1 injured, $250,000 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 Williamstown's 2 ZIP codes have filed 109 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1984: 33 claims (30% of all) and $451,000, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 12. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 20. 50% 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, 80 have fewer than Williamstown.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1984 | 33 | $451,000 |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 12 | $257,000 |
Wood County, which includes Williamstown, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 hurricanes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wood County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.8 million a year, the 3rd highest of 55 West Virginia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $33.1 million (90%), 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.