178
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$4.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Raleigh County, West Virginia: 178 recorded events between 1964 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 65. That places the county #1,232 nationally and #14 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Raleigh County, West Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Raleigh County is the 2020s, when 64 of the county's 178 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 Raleigh County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 45.9% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,232 for this hazard and #14 within West Virginia, putting it in the 60.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Raleigh County with 42 recorded events, while Oct 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2024 | GRANDVIEW | 50 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Jul 5, 2012 | SKELTON | 50 | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| May 2, 2002 | GHENT | 0 | 0 | 1 | $20K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2026 | SKELTON | 50 | $500 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | GRANDVIEW | 50 | $2K |
| Apr 1, 2026 | SKELTON | 50 | $500 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | BECKLEY | 50 | $500 |
| Mar 16, 2026 | SPRAGUE | 45 | $2K |
| Feb 20, 2026 | PROSPERITY | 45 | $200 |
| Feb 20, 2026 | MIDWAY | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | MAYNOR | 45 | $250 |
| Jul 1, 2025 | STONECOAL JCT | 45 | $250 |
| Jun 27, 2025 | COOL RIDGE | 50 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Raleigh County
- Hail 119
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The roof was blown off a manufactured home in Cool Ridge. Eight people were in the home when the storm hit. Fortunately, none of them were injured. Multiple power poles were also snapped in the area. Nearby, at the Raleigh County Memorial Airport, a 63 mph wind gust was measured.
Along Brunty Hollow Road, a porch was ripped off a house along with a portion of its roof. There was sporadic tree damage and a couple power poles were snapped off at the top. At least one vehicle was hit by a fallen tree. On Saxon Road near Shiloh, a pole barn had part of its roofing taken off. At one point, downed trees blocked many local roads. Most of the damage occurred in clearings within valleys, where trees on the edge of the forested land took the burnt of the force. Due to channeling down the valleys, wind speeds could have reached 70 mph.
Straight line wind damage resulted from at least 2 microbursts. The damage occurred along Pine Branch Road off of Route 3. Two damage paths, both less than a quarter of a mile wide, consisted of uprooted and snapped trees. Yet, along one of the paths, several homes were damaged by the downed trees and flying debris.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Raleigh County, West Virginia?
178 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Raleigh County between 1964 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Raleigh County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Raleigh County measured 65.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Raleigh 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 Raleigh County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/raleigh-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.