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West Virginia high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 55 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,815 high wind and dust records in West Virginia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 63 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 11, 2020 strong wind in Boone County: 1 death, 2 injuries and $11,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. West Virginia ranks 27th of 52 states and territories by count and 11th of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in West Virginia, 1996 to 2026

Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
1,8151996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
63average
Deaths
312 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$24Mas filed
Busiest year
2024230 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are high wind and dust records common in West Virginia?

West Virginia averages about 63 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 27th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (230). Per 10,000 square miles of land, West Virginia records 755 high wind and dust records since 1996, 11th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900
  11. 11. West Virginia 755

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in West Virginia have the most high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Ohio County leads West Virginia: 32 days with a high wind record since 1996, 302.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Grant County has the most wind records (63 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Ohio County 302.4 (32)
  2. Pleasants County 184.4 (24)
  3. Taylor County 173.6 (30)
  4. Jefferson County 148.1 (31)
  5. Morgan County 139.7 (33)
  6. Mineral County 137.2 (61)
  7. Berkeley County 130.8 (44)
  8. Cabell County 117.4 (33)
  9. Tyler County 117.0 (30)
  10. Tucker County 114.5 (57)
  11. Upshur County 110.0 (40)
  12. Wirt County 107.5 (25)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the windy season in West Virginia?

West Virginia's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is December (379 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 290 · Feb 322 · Mar 323 · Apr 211 · May 12 · Jun 2 · Jul 3 · Aug 2 · Sep 38 · Oct 54 · Nov 179 · Dec 379 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in West Virginia?

West Virginia: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2020-01-11 Strong WindBoone County · forecast zone Boone A strong storm system moved through the Great Lakes on the 11th and 12th. Ahead of this system, temperatures on the afternoon of the 11th soared into the 70s and low 80s, driven by strong southerly winds. Gusts were regularly measured in the 40-50 mph range. A line of showers and thunderstorms developed in the lower ... 45 kt wind 1 2 $11K
2005-04-03 High WindGrant County · forecast zone Grant After the passage of a cold front, strong winds downed many trees and power lines and caused damage to homes and vehicles in the eastern West Virginia panhandle. Some of the downed power lines caused fires. Several thousand people were left without power. A wind gust to 52 mph was reported in Capon Bridge, and a wind ... 50 kt wind 1 2 –
2018-09-10 Strong WindMonongalia County · forecast zone Monongalia A wind gust of 30-35 mph caused a tree to fall on a house. The ground was heavily saturated due to Remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon. A woman died while sleeping in her bed when the tree fell on her home around 4:30am (Monday, Sept 10th). Article: ... 30 kt wind 1 0 $24K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest high wind and dust records in West Virginia

West Virginia: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-09-27 High WindMercer County · forecast zone Mercer 65 kt wind 0 1 $4.7M
2003-09-18 Hurricane Isabel · High WindJefferson County · forecast zone Jefferson One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. 50 kt wind 0 3 $1.3M
1996-09-06 High WindPendleton County · forecast zone Pendleton 0 0 $564K
2008-09-14 High WindOhio County · forecast zone Ohio 51 kt wind 0 0 $343K
2025-12-19 Strong WindHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison One storm episode: 40 records in 34 places; the totals are the episode's. 42 kt wind 0 0 $268K
2006-10-17 High WindMercer County · forecast zone Mercer 60 kt wind 0 0 $256K
2025-12-29 Strong WindCabell County · forecast zone Cabell One storm episode: 40 records in 34 places; the totals are the episode's. 36 kt wind 0 0 $54K
2026-02-20 Strong WindHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison One storm episode: 20 records in 18 places; the totals are the episode's. 42 kt wind 0 0 $49K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in West Virginia?

West Virginia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

High wind and dust storms: West Virginia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWest VirginiaUnited StatesWest Virginia's share
1996-999414,0260.7%
2000s66237,2541.8%
2010s39041,7480.9%
2020-2666936,3001.8%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in West Virginia

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-16 Strong WindWood County · forecast zone Wood 38 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindWayne County · forecast zone Wayne 42 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindUpshur County · forecast zone Upshur 39 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindTyler County · forecast zone Tyler 32 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindRandolph County · forecast zone Northwest Randolph 33 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindRaleigh County · forecast zone Southeast Raleigh 36 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindPocahontas County · forecast zone Northwest Pocahontas 40 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindLogan County · forecast zone Logan 32 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindKanawha County · forecast zone Kanawha 47 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindJackson County · forecast zone Jackson 32 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindHarrison County · forecast zone Harrison 38 kt wind 0 0 $500
2026-03-16 Strong WindCabell County · forecast zone Cabell 36 kt wind 0 0 $500

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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