Tornadoes are relatively uncommon in Wet Virginia, averaging roughly two per year. Although tornadoes have occurred in every month of the year in West Virginia; they are most common between the months of April and July. [1] The strongest tornadoes confirmed in West Virginia were two F4 tornadoes, both in the northern part of the state and both occurring on June 23, 1944.
As of June 2024, there have been at least 192 tornadoes confirmed in the state of West Virginia since 1875. Recorded events have increased in frequency due to more cameras and cell phones, as well as drone surveying tools. In 2024, there were 18 tornadoes in the state, breaking the record for most annual tornadoes, previously set in 1998 with 14 twisters. [2] From 1993 to 2022, the state averaged two tornadoes per year. [3]
There are six West Virginia counties that have never reported a tornado. [1] Conversely, Kanawha County has experienced the most events, with 16 tornadoes since 1875. [2] [1]
The following is a chart showing West Virginia tornadoes by month or by time period. Although at the moment, it only includes 10 of the tornadoes that impacted in April 2024; 2 in May 2024; and 3 in June. [69]
Month | Number of tornadoes |
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January | |
February | |
March | |
April | |
May | |
June | |
July | |
August | |
September | |
October | |
November | |
December |
Period | Number of tornadoes |
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1800s | |
1900–49 | |
1950s | |
1960s | |
1970s | |
1980s | |
1990s | |
2000s | |
2010s | |
2020s |
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks that occurred in 2007, primarily in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally, particularly in parts of neighboring southern Canada during the summer season. Some tornadoes also take place in Europe, e. g. in the United Kingdom or in Germany.
The tornado outbreak of March 28–31, 2007, also known as the Late-March 2007 tornado outbreak, was a tornado outbreak that took place across the central United States. It developed in the High Plains from South Dakota to central Texas on March 28, 2007, which produced most of the tornadoes. Several more tornadoes were reported the next three days before the system weakened on March 31. It affected western Nebraska, western Kansas, extreme eastern Colorado, and much of Oklahoma, and Texas. It was the second major outbreak of 2007, four weeks after an outbreak farther east. The outbreak produced 80 confirmed tornadoes, with five deaths and extensive damage being reported. In addition to the tornadoes, widespread hail as large as softballs and destructive straight-line winds as strong as 90 mph (140 km/h) were reported.
From June 12 to June 13, 2013, two derechos occurred across different areas of the Eastern United States. The initial derecho formed on the afternoon of June 12 and tracked across a large section of the Midwestern United States, the central Appalachians, and the Mid-Atlantic states before moving into the Atlantic Ocean during the morning of June 13. A second, more widespread and intense derecho occurred on June 13 across the Southeastern United States, resulting in major wind damage across North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, among other states. These storms caused at least three deaths and extensive damage property damage – resulting from both tornadoes and straight-line winds – from Iowa to South Carolina. 28 tornadoes touched down in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Tennessee. One of the tornadoes in Iowa was rated as a high-end EF3, destroying a restaurant and two houses. One person was injured by another tornado, rated EF2, in Carroll County, Illinois, and nine people were injured by an EF1 in Cherokee County, Georgia.
The tornado outbreak of January 10–11, 2020 was a two-day severe weather event stretching from the South-Central Plains eastward into the Southeast United States. An eastward-moving shortwave trough tracked across the continental United States through that two-day period, combining with abundant moisture, instability, and wind shear to promote the formation of a long-lived squall line. Hundreds of damaging wind reports were received, and 80 tornadoes occurred within this line, making it the third largest January tornado outbreak on record. Three tornadoes—an EF1 in eastern Texas, an EF2 in northern Louisiana, and an EF2 in western Alabama—led to a total of seven deaths, all in mobile homes. There were five other storm related deaths, including two due to icy roads in Lubbock, Texas, one due to drowning in Oklahoma, and one due to icy roads in Iowa. The system also brought a monthly record high temperature to Boston and Bridgeport. Extensive damage and several other injuries occurred as well. The severe weather event was notable in that it was forecast well in advance, with the Storm Prediction Center first highlighting the risk area a full week beforehand. Total damage from the event reached $1.1 billion according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
On April 22, 2020, an outbreak of discrete supercell thunderstorms across portions of Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana led to widespread severe weather, including multiple strong tornadoes. Two people were killed by a high-end EF2 that struck the town of Madill, Oklahoma, and three more were killed by an EF3 wedge tornado that moved through Onalaska, Texas. Dozens of others were injured as well. The event came to fruition as a trough progressed eastward across the United States, interacting with a moist and unstable environment. Tornado activity continued into Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia overnight into the day on April 23. Isolated tornado activity also occurred during the overnight hours on April 21.
A tornado outbreak occurred on Saint Patrick's Day in the Deep South. Mississippi and Alabama were greatly affected, with numerous tornadoes being confirmed, including four that were rated EF2. Six people were injured by four different tornadoes across Alabama during the outbreak. A non-tornadic fatality also occurred due to a car crash near Natchez, Mississippi. The outbreak began the day before, with a couple tornadoes in Mississippi, and continued over the next two days. The storm moved eastward and affected portions of Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia on March 18, spawning more tornadoes and causing wind damage before the storms pushed offshore that night. In total, 51 tornadoes were confirmed during the event, including 25 in Alabama, making it the sixth-largest tornado event in the state's history, and is sometimes locally referred to as the Saint Patrick's Day tornado outbreak of 2021. The same areas would be hit again by a more significant and destructive tornado outbreak sequence one week later.
Hurricane Ida generated a tornado outbreak as it traversed the Southeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeastern United States. Thirty-six confirmed tornadoes touched down from Mississippi to Massachusetts; one person was killed in Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania, and several people were injured in Alabama, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The most active and destructive part of the outbreak occurred during the afternoon of September 1, when several strong tornadoes struck Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, including an EF3 tornado which impacted Mullica Hill, New Jersey. The same storm later dropped an EF1 tornado that prompted a tornado emergency for Burlington, New Jersey and Croydon, and Bristol, Pennsylvania, the first of its kind in the Northeast, as well as the first such alert associated with a tropical cyclone or its remnants. This outbreak severely impacted New Jersey and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, a region which had been significantly impacted by strong tornadoes from another outbreak that occurred just over a month prior, as well as several weak tornadoes from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred two weeks earlier. Overall, the 36 tornadoes killed one person and injured seven others.
From April 4–5, 2022, a mesoscale convective system and numerous discrete supercells produced a swath of severe weather and several tornadoes in the Southeastern United States, including several strong, long tracked tornadoes. An EF3 tornado damaged or destroyed several homes in Bonaire, Georgia while a large EF3 tornado prompted a tornado emergency for Allendale and Sycamore, South Carolina. A violent EF4 tornado in Black Creek, Georgia resulted in one fatality as it destroyed several neighborhoods, and another large EF3 tornado caused widespread heavy tree damage northeast of Ulmer, South Carolina. More severe storms occurred across a large portion of the Southeast ahead of a cold front on April 6–7, with more tornadoes reported in South and Central Georgia and further south into Florida, all of which were weak. Along with the one tornadic death, trees felled by straight-line winds killed one person each in Louisiana and Texas.
The April 2022 North American storm complex affected much of the Rocky Mountains and the Midwestern United States with tornadoes, heavy snow, and gusty winds. The system in general first began impacting the Northwest on April 11, before moving eastward into the Rocky Mountains the following day. It was also responsible for producing a large severe weather outbreak of tornadoes and damaging straight-line wind in the Midwest and South while contributing to a powerful blizzard in the upper Midwest states of North and South Dakota.
On May 12, 2022, a severe squall line followed by a derecho took place across the Midwestern United States. Two fatalities occurred from the first line of storms while three more deaths occurred from the derecho itself.
The 2011 Shoal Creek Valley–Ohatchee tornado occurred during the evening hours of April 27, 2011, when a large and violent EF4 tornado devastated the northern portion of Ohatchee and the beachside homes on the Coosa River and many other communities in Eastern Alabama. This tornado was one of the fifteen violent tornadoes to happen during the extremely active 2011 Super Outbreak, which is the largest and costliest tornado outbreak in United States history. The long-track wedge tornado touched down a few miles northeast of Trussville and traveled 97 miles from Alabama to Georgia. Throughout its track, the tornado widened to its maximum peak width of 1,760 yards and peaked with an estimated wind speed of 180 mph ; the tornado caused 22 fatalities and injured 85 people and did $367 million in damage.