173
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Ohio County, West Virginia: 173 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #1,284 nationally and #16 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Ohio County, West Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Ohio County is the 2010s, when 55 of the county's 173 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Ohio County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 65.3% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,284 for this hazard and #16 within West Virginia, putting it in the 59.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Ohio County with 33 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2012 | WHEELING | 60 | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| May 21, 2004 | ELM GROVE | 69 | 0 | 1 | $75K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2025 | (HLG)OHIO CO ARPT WH | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 29, 2025 | VALLEY GROVE | 55 | $3K |
| Apr 29, 2025 | ELM GROVE | 55 | $5K |
| Apr 29, 2025 | WARWOOD | 55 | $3K |
| Apr 29, 2025 | WHEELING | 55 | $3K |
| Apr 3, 2025 | CLINTON | 55 | $3K |
| Apr 3, 2025 | (HLG)OHIO CO ARPT WH | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 2025 | BETHLEHEM | 55 | $5K |
| Apr 3, 2025 | WILSON | 55 | $2K |
| Apr 3, 2025 | WHEELING | 55 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Ohio County
- Flash Flood 43
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An 80-foot long portion of a cinder block wall was blown in by thunderstorm winds. A large tree was blown onto a house, damaging the porch roof. A large plate glass window of a car dealership was blown in. A portion of a cinder block wall at Wheeling Downs Racetrack was blown over. Several roads in the Wheeling area were closed by fallen trees. Numerous fallen trees were reported throughout the city.
A microburst ripped through Elm Grove. It was 150 yards wide and 600 yards long, with an estimated wind of 80 mph (69 kt). Several houses had significant damage; some roofs were blown off. Houses were damaged by flying debris. One house had severe damage, 6 had major damage, 9 had minor damage. One man was blown across his living room after his window blew out. Many trees were snapped off or uprooted. A few trees few onto houses. A boat and trailer were moved several feet. Large hail was also reported. There were also large trees down countywide.
Strong thunderstorm winds blew through Wheeling, with one wind gust to 50 knots recorded at the Wheeling Airport. The strong winds blew the roof off of one business in downtown Wheeling, and partially ripped the facade off of another. Power outages were reported across much of the city, with the Fulton, Woodsdale and Elm Grove sections of Wheeling especially hard hit.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Ohio County, West Virginia?
173 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Ohio County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Ohio County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Ohio County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Ohio County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Ohio County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/ohio-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.