Hurricanes that hit Putnam County, West Virginia: hurricane history

10 storms have passed within 50 km of Putnam County from 1888 to 2004, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Putnam County

The record holds 10 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Putnam County, West Virginia between 1888 and 2004. The busiest month is August, with 4 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached tropical storm strength.

  • 10storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 0at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Putnam County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression660%
Tropical storm440%
Category 100%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity00%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Putnam County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 3 in 1970s.1880s11920s11930s11950s11970s31980s11990s12000s1

The 2000s only run to 2004, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1888, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1880s1
1920s1
1930s1
1950s1
1970s3
1980s1
1990s1
2000s1

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 4 in Aug.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun1Jul2Aug4Sep3Oct0Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun1
Jul2
Aug4
Sep3
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Putnam County

  • Hugo (1989)10 September 1989 to 25 September 1989, Tropical storm (55 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 918 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1888 (North Atlantic)14 August 1888 to 24 August 1888, Tropical storm (45 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (110 kt)
  • Audrey (1957)24 June 1957 to 29 June 1957, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (110 kt), 946 hPa
  • Frederic (1979)29 August 1979 to 15 September 1979, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 943 hPa

Most recent storms near Putnam County

  • Frances (2004)25 August 2004 to 10 September 2004, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 937 hPa
  • Erin (1995)31 July 1995 to 6 August 1995, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 974 hPa
  • Hugo (1989)10 September 1989 to 25 September 1989, Tropical storm (55 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 918 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

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