Weather Event Summaries

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The following summaries cover "significant" or widespread hazardous weather events the have occurred in the
NWS Charleston, WV Forecast and Warning Area
For a searchable database of all documented tornadoes that have touched down in the NWS Charleston, WV forecast and warning area since 1886 please visit our
Tornado Database
Additional documentation on storm events can be found in the
NOAA Storm Events Database
Scroll down the page for year, or go directly:
2025
April 14: Severe Thunderstorms Move Through Portions of the Area with Large Hail and Some Wind Damage
March
16:
Severe Thunderstorms Sweep Through Much of the Area with Damaging Winds and Some Hail
January 5-7: Significant Winter Storm Brings Heavy Snow and Ice to the Region
2024
September
27:
The Remnants of Helene Bring High Wind and Heavy Rain to the Region
September
25: A Tornado Touches Down in Southwest Pocahontas County
(the first documented tornado to occur in the county)
May 9: EF1 Tornado Touches Down in Northeast Wood County
April 2: Record-Breaking Tornado Outbreak Produces 17 Tornadoes Across Parts of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia
February 16-17: Quick-hitting Snowfall Impacts the Area
January 14-16:First Widespread Snow Since 2022 Hits the Region Followed by Very Cold Temperatures
2023
December 18-19: Higher Terrain Snowfall
July 28: Severe Thunderstorms Sweep Through Much of the Region
May 1-4: The Historic Late Season (High Elevation) Snowstorm
February 27: Large Hail Across Portions of the Mid-Ohio Valley
February 16-17: Heavy Rain and Flooding
January 12-14: Rain to Snow Transition
January 3-4: Heavy Rain and Flooding Across the Middle Ohio Valley
2022
December 23-26: Significant Arctic Blast
Southwest Virginia Flooding of July 12-13, 2022
EF-1 Tornado Touches Down in Greenup Co, KY on May 26, 2022
Rainfall Summary for May 6th Flood Event
Long Duration Mixed Bag Winter Storm - Feb 2-5, 2022
Complex Winter Storm Produces Widespread Heavy Snow January 16-17, 2022
Quick Hitting Winter Storm Produces Heavy Snow for the Region January 6-7, 2022
December 31-January 3 Heavy Rainfall/Flooding and Snowfall Summary
2021
February 26-March 1: Rainfall Totals and River Flood Summary for Late February/Early March Flood Event
February: Snow/Ice Maps and Impacts Summary from February 2021 Back to Back to Back Winter Storms
2020
December 24-25: Winter storms brings first white Christmas in several years for many locations.
December 1-2: Summary of the first widespread snow of the 2020/2021 Winter Season.
July 30: Thunderstorms dropped torrential rainfall in many areas during the afternoon and evening of July 30th. Multiple stations reported over 2 inches of rainfall over 24 hours with some stations recording up to 5 inches of rain.
April 9: EF1 Tornado Touches Down Briefly in Vinton County, OH.
2019
November 12-13: Cold Snap Breaks Multiple Daily Record Lows.
June 24: Two tornadoes touch down in Charleston, WV and microburst damage occurs in Wallace, WV.
2018
December 8-9: Winter storm brings heavy snowfall to the Coalfields of southern WV and VA
2016
July 4: EF-2 Tornado in Louisa, KY
June 23: The Historic Late June Flooding Event in West Virginia
May 1: Northeast Kentucky Straight Line Winds and Hail
2015
December 23: Wood County Tornado
June 20: Washington County, OH Tornado
June 17: Upshur County EF-1 Tornado
2014
June 4: EF-1 Tornado in Ona, WV
2013
November 17: Straight Line Wind Damage in Barlow, OH
November 1: Straight Line Wind Damage in Huntington
June 9: East Kentucky Tornado near Lowmansville
2012
Hurricane Sandy (10 yr Anniversary Storymap)
June 29: Derecho Event
10 Year Anniversary Storymap
March 2: Summary of the March 2nd Tornadic Supercells
Warmest Winter at Charleston in 40 Years
One of the Warmest Winters on Record for West Virginia
2010
September 16: Tornado Outbreak
2006
October 11: Supercell Tracks across the West Virginia Coalfields
August 30: Long Lived Supercell tracks across the Huntington to Charleston Corridor
July 21: Severe Weather and Flash Flooding
May 26: Severe Weather Episode brings Hail and High Winds
February 11-13 Winter Storm Follows a Warm and Rather Snowless January
January 22-23: Heavy Rain Event
2005
December 28: Cold Season Severe Weather Episode
June 14: Severe Weather Episode
2004
September 16-18: Rainfall from Remnants of Hurricane Ivan
May 8: Gallia County F2 Tornado
Historic
Remembering the Flood of March 1997
Copious amounts of rain fell on central Kentucky, southern Ohio, southern Indiana and into West Virginia as the calendar turned from February to March back in 1997. As thunderstorms and large areas of heavy rain repeatedly moved over the same areas, impressive rainfall totals were recorded, with rainfall records being broken in some areas.  The deluge resulted in record flooding along smaller streams and some of the worst flooding along the Ohio River since at least 1964, and in some places since the Great Flood of 1937. Several tributaries of the Ohio River set all-time record river crests that still stand today.
Read More...
The West Virginia Derecho of April 9, 1991
Many West Virginians and Ohioans easily recall the Derecho of 2012, however, the Derecho of 1991 was comparable in wind speeds and resulting damage.  The southwest to northeast moving squall line caused 2 deaths, 86 injuries and over 8,000 insurance claims due to damage to homes and businesses in West Virginia alone.
Read More...
April 3-4 1974 Super Outbreak
The 1974 Super Outbreak occurred on April 3-4, 1974 and is the second largest outbreak on record. This outbreak still holds the record for the most F5 tornadoes to occur on a single day (7 total). A total of 148 tornadoes occurred within 24 hours on April 3-4, touching down in 13 states and killing more than 300 people and injuring over 6,000 people. The hardest hit areas were in the Midwest, particularly in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. These states alone had approximately 200 fatalities, most of which occurred on April 3rd from 2 pm to 10 pm. The Appalachian region was not immune to the tornadic outbreak either. Several tornadoes occurred during the early morning hours of April 4th, resulting in significant damage in portions of southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia. This more or less debunked the long-standing myth that tornadoes do not occur in the mountains.
Read More...
The Little Kanawha Flash Floods of 1943
On August 4-5, 1943, one of the deadliest floods in West Virginia history occurred in the Little Kanawha River Basin. Many small streams in Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Ritchie, and Wirt Counties reached stages much higher than previously known as a result of estimated rainfall that amounted to as much as 15 inches in 2 hours. Twenty-three lives were lost as a result of the flood. Although there was considerable flooding of residential property in the communities along the Little Kanawha River, all loss of life occurred along relatively small tributaries. There, in the small valleys, the water rose with great rapidity during the early morning hours of August 5th, carrying away many homes.
Read More...
Looking Back at the Late Season Snowstorm of May 9-10, 1923
The latest snow on record for many locations occurred on May 9-10, 1923 when up to 10" of snow blanketed parts of West Virginia.
Read More...
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