228
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$6.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Wood County, West Virginia: 228 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 83. That places the county #824 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Wood County, West Virginia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Wood County is the 2020s, when 96 of the county's 228 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 Wood County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 51.1% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #824 for this hazard and #8 within West Virginia, putting it in the 73.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Wood County with 64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1991 | 55 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 11, 1984 | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jul 10, 2003 | PARKERSBURG | 60 | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Jul 8, 2014 | MELDAHLS | 83 | 0 | 1 | $350K |
| Jul 30, 1996 | PARKERSBURG | 0 | 0 | 1 | $400K |
| Apr 23, 1996 | PARKERSBURG | 0 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2026 | DALLISON | 50 | $500 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | MURPHYTOWN | 50 | $500 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | PARKERSBURG | 50 | $5K |
| Apr 1, 2026 | PARKERSBURG | 50 | $10K |
| Apr 1, 2026 | WASHINGTON | 50 | $2K |
| Apr 1, 2026 | PARKERSBURG | 50 | $2K |
| Mar 7, 2026 | WOOD CO ARPT | 45 | $500 |
| Mar 7, 2026 | MARRTOWN | 45 | $500 |
| Jul 26, 2025 | KANAWHA STATION | 50 | $750 |
| Jul 26, 2025 | MARRTOWN | 45 | $250 |
Other hazards here
More from Wood County
- Hail 111
- Flash Flood 47
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous trees and large branches were blown down in scattered locations throughout the county. A man was seriously injured in Parkersburg. A tree fell onto his car, while it was parked at 16th and Latrobe Streets. Four rental units were destroyed in the county. Four dwellings had major damage and 5 others had minor damage. Over 42,000 customers were without electricity in the county. The county fair grounds had 10 permanent structures damaged, mostly to their roofs. The public infrastructure damage assessment was around $360,000.
The same bow configuration that caused substantial damage in the Marietta vicinity hit the Parkersburg to Williamstown corridor. A spotter's anemometer recorded at 73 mph wind gust in Williamstown. The Williamstown mayor estimated 1000 trees down in the town. An 80 foot tent collapsed and damaged many Fenton Glass items that were on display.
A total of 25 homes were damaged by fallen trees from Parkersburg on south and west, including the Lubeck and Mineralwells region. Sheds and cars were also damaged. One of the hardest hit regions in Parkersburg was the Meadowcrest region. One chainsaw dealer said, "we're inundated with service, everybody's got a tree down".
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Wood County, West Virginia?
228 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Wood County between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Wood County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Wood County measured 83.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Wood 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 Wood County, West Virginia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/west-virginia/wood-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.