Walker, WV Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Walker is about the same as West Virginia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Walker is about the same as West Virginia average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #282
| Walker, WV | 0.05 |
| West Virginia | 0.06 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Walker, WV | 0.0000 |
| West Virginia | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #251
| Walker, WV | 37.78 |
| West Virginia | 34.13 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 2,439 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Walker, WV were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 1 | Cold: | 53 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 24 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 460 | Hail: | 558 | Heat: | 36 | Heavy Snow: | 28 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 6 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 35 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,140 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 12 | Winter Weather: | 4 |
| Other: | 82 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Walker, WV.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Walker, WV.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Walker, WV.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 12 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Walker, WV.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.6 | 1998-01-08 | 2 | 39°13'N / 81°25'W | 39°14'N / 81°27'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Wood |
| Brief Description: One mobile home along Farrow Hill Road was completely destroyed. Luckily, the owner was not at home. One church sustained roof damage. A side to a barn was ripped off. An old farm house was damaged. Some bark from a tree went through a cars windshield. One van was pushed several yards. Numerous trees were knocked down. Nobody was injured. Rare January dew points, in the upper 50s and lower 60s on the 8th, along with strong winds aloft, helped trigger severe weather. The rains from the past few days were heavier in Ohio, and eventually caused minor river flooding along the mainstem of the Ohio River. The high water was from the mouth of the Hocking River to the mouth of the Kanawha River. The crest at Pt. Pleasant was 41.5 feet. These levels closed some roads, parks, and parking lots, but did not reach into the towns. | |||||||||||
| 14.8 | 2003-07-10 | 2 | 39°15'N / 81°39'W | 39°16'N / 81°36'W | 2.50 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | Wood |
| Brief Description: The tornado first touched down along Raymond Street near Lubeck. Several homes were damaged here, including a brick garage, which had its roof thrown a couple hundred feet into neighboring homes. The tornado continued northeast along Smitherman Road, where it intensified to F2 strength. Eight homes were damaged at his time, including 2 homes with their roofs lifted off and thrown several hundred feet. More homes were damaged as the tornado cross Lake Washington Road. One resident took shelter in a basement bathroom. When she opened the door after the storm, there was nothing but daylight. Six RV trailers were overturned at a dealership. The tornado crossed White Acres Road damaging 6 homes. One attached garage was ripped away from a house. The tornado weakened as it crossed Route 892. Trees were mangled near Jewell Road. The storm crossed Island View Drive, but no houses suffered any significant damage. All total, on the order of 30 homes and a couple of businesses sustained damage, with a half dozen homes destroyed. About 15 power poles were snapped. Luckily, no fatalities or injuries occurred. A potent squall line developed during the early afternoon across central Ohio, on southwest to central Kentucky. This was along a prefrontal surface boundary, and well out ahead of a strong cold front. The atmosphere warmed into the 80s with surface dew points in the 70 to 75 degree range. Additional thunderstorms formed into a broken west to east line across West Virginia, ahead of the squall line. This caused flooding problems. After 1500E, the squall line accelerated eastward, moving near 50 mph. As a result of this event, a few more counties, such as Ritchie and Harrison, were added to FEMA's disaster declaration number 1474. This federal disaster was initiated during the month of June. | |||||||||||
| 15.7 | 1981-07-28 | 2 | 39°24'N / 81°18'W | 39°23'N / 81°12'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Pleasants |
| 16.0 | 1981-07-28 | 2 | 39°25'N / 81°18'W | 39°24'N / 81°18'W | 1.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 17.1 | 2010-09-16 | 3 | 39°08'N / 81°44'W | 39°06'N / 81°37'W | 7.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 10 | 1.0M | 0K | Wood |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado originated in northeastern Meigs County Ohio and crossed the Ohio River, just upstream of the lock and dam and the community of Belleville. A small pocket of EF3 damage located along Route 68 in the valley and flood plain along the river. The maximum wind gusts were estimated at 160 mph here. Also, the width of the tornado briefly widened to 500 yards here. Well built single family homes received major damage or were destroyed. In this area, a 57 year old male was killed. He, his wife, and their dog had gone downstairs into the basement for protection. The husband went back upstair to get a flashlight. He figured the electricity would go out, as darkness had already set in. At that point, he disappeared as the tornado hit. His wife tried to open the door to let him back down, but she could not open the door. Their ranch style home with a brick front was destroyed. His body was found some 150 to 200 feet away in a field. Ten other people were injured, but none seriously. Other significant structural and tree damage occurred along a river access road and basically along the South Fork of Lee Creek drainage toward Rockport. The total path length of this tornado from Meigs County Ohio into Wood County was over 9 miles. All total, the county reported 10 homes destroyed, 6 homes with major damage, and 27 homes with minor damage. About 15 to 18 outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front, in tandem with strong mid and upper level forcing, produced a severe weather outbreak in southeast Ohio into extreme western West Virginia during the late afternoon and evening of Thursday the 16th. The setup featured a 45 knot mid level flow and a 95 knot upper level jet. Matter of fact, a larger area of showers, associated with a warm front, had moved across southeast Ohio and West Virginia during the morning and midday hours. This kept the surface based instability at a minimum. However, new cells formed further west during the mid afternoon over western Ohio. It was this new cluster of convection that would intensify due to the strong mid and upper level dynamics. Several of the new cells formed and intensified on the southern or southwestern flank of the overall larger area of showers and thunderstorms. This area of convection stretched further to the northeast into eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. This allowed an unimpeded low level moisture inflow into the new development. Surface dew points ahead of the cold front reached into the mid 60s. Most of the severe thunderstorms exhibited strong rotation, resulting in the spawning of 5 tornadoes. Four of these 5 tornadoes were in southeast Ohio. One of the 4 Ohio tornadoes crossed from Fairfield County into western Perry County. Another 1 of the 4 crossed from Perry into northwestern Morgan County. One tornado patch was solely in Athens County. Finally, the last of the 4 tornadoes in Ohio crossed the Ohio River from northeastern Meigs County into southern Wood County in West Virginia. This tornado was the strongest and resulted in a fatality on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. The last direct death from a tornado in West Virginnia was back in June of 1982. Finally, the last short tornado path in this outbreak was solely in western West Virginia, located in Wirt County. | |||||||||||
| 21.6 | 2010-09-16 | 3 | 39°09'N / 81°47'W | 39°08'N / 81°45'W | 3.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 6 | 1.5M | 0K | Meigs |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A new rotating supercell formed south of thunderstorm complex that caused the tornado and strong downburst in western Athens County. A new tornado formed. Significant structural damage to farm buildings and a few homes occurred along Eden Ridge Road. This road is also County Route 50. The tornado path then went across State Route 124 between community of Reedsville and Eden along the Ohio River. A majority of the mobile homes affected were in this vicinity. In addition, a well built single family home and its detached commercial grade garage were completely destroyed. The foundations of both structures were wiped clean. The EF3 damage included this area along State Route 124. Maximum wind gusts of 150 mph were estimated. The county reported 22 structures destroyed or having major damage, including mostly mobile and single family homes. However, one car repair shop was also included. Another 20 homes were affected or had minor damage. Around a dozen outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. One male received rib and leg fractures when his truck was flipped over while he was in it. A woman was injured when she was pinned in rubble from her mobile home. In the dark, her barking dog helped first responders find her faster. A total of 6 people were injured, 2 seriously. This tornado crossed the Ohio River and killed a man immediately on the other side of the river in southern Wood County of West Virginia. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front, in tandem with strong mid and upper level forcing, produced a severe weather outbreak in southeast Ohio into extreme western West Virginia during the late afternoon and evening of Thursday the 16th. The setup featured a 45 knot mid level flow and a 95 knot upper level jet. Matter of fact, a larger area of showers, associated with a warm front, had moved across southeast Ohio and West Virginia during the morning and midday hours. This kept the surface based instability at a minimum. However, new cells formed further west during the mid afternoon over western Ohio. It was this new cluster of convection that would intensify due to the strong mid and upper level dynamics. Several of the new cells formed and intensified on the southern or southwestern flank of the overall larger area of showers and thunderstorms. This area of convection stretched further to the northeast into eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. This allowed an unimpeded low level moisture inflow into the new development. Surface dew points ahead of the cold front reached into the mid 60s. Most of the severe thunderstorms exhibited strong rotation, resulting in the spawning of 5 tornadoes. Four of these 5 tornadoes were in Ohio. One of the 4 Ohio tornadoes crossed from Fairfield County into western Perry County. Another 1 of the 4 crossed from Perry into northwestern Morgan County. One tornado patch was solely in western Athens County. The damage continued another 10 miles in Athens County from a strong rear flank downdraft. Finally, the last of the 4 tornadoes in Ohio crossed the Ohio River from northeastern Meigs County into southern Wood County in West Virginia. From storm surveys, this was the strongest tornado. The last tornado path in this outbreak was solely in western West Virginia. Luckily, there were no fatalities in southeastern Ohio. However, there was one death on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. | |||||||||||
| 29.5 | 1971-07-24 | 2 | 39°33'N / 81°39'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
| 32.2 | 1986-10-01 | 3 | 39°18'N / 80°47'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Doddridge | |
| 32.8 | 1967-03-13 | 2 | 38°57'N / 81°54'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Meigs | |||
| 42.6 | 1998-06-27 | 2 | 39°48'N / 81°23'W | 39°48'N / 81°23'W | 0.30 Mile | 200 Yards | 1 | 1 | 75K | 0 | Noble |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado with estimated 150 MPH winds demolished a mobile home, killing a 45-year-old woman. Numerous trees along the relatively short path were sheared/downed. F45MH | |||||||||||
| 43.8 | 1956-03-07 | 2 | 39°03'N / 80°34'W | 1.00 Mile | 60 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lewis | |
| 47.8 | 2010-09-16 | 2 | 39°24'N / 82°15'W | 39°24'N / 82°11'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 7 | 750K | 0K | Athens |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touchdown was along Kimberly Road, about 4 miles from Nelsonville. The tornado reached maximum intensity along Matheny Road to State Route 691. Matheny Road is also called York Township Road 269. Damage was concentrated along Matheny Road and State Route 691. The low level circulation was evident in the damage along Matheny Road. Debris was strewn one way on the south side of the road, then in the opposite direction on the north side. One resident said, you could see stuff flying through the air. Then the noise got real loud and we ran into the house and into a closet. The house was just shaking. Several mobile homes were completely destroyed. Yet, some of these mobile homes were poorly anchored or not anchored at all. Many large softwood trees were uprooted or snapped at their trunks. Reports were received of several cows being lifted by the tornado. A hay bale weighing 1800 pounds was lofted into the air and set back down. The maximum wind gusts were estimated at 120 to 130 mph. A total of 7 people were injured. About 13 homes were destroyed, with dozens of other homes damaged. Since 1950, this is only the second confirmed tornado in Athens County. The previous tornado was a F1 during May of 1980. However, prior to 1950, 3 tornadoes have been reported in Athens County, back in July of 1896, April of 1922, and June of 1937. The June 1937 tornado killed 3. The storm in 1896 was reported in Glouster. However, historical accounts also describe a tornado in the late 1800s that destroyed a large grove of sycamore trees in the city of Athens. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front, in tandem with strong mid and upper level forcing, produced a severe weather outbreak in southeast Ohio into extreme western West Virginia during the late afternoon and evening of Thursday the 16th. The setup featured a 45 knot mid level flow and a 95 knot upper level jet. Matter of fact, a larger area of showers, associated with a warm front, had moved across southeast Ohio and West Virginia during the morning and midday hours. This kept the surface based instability at a minimum. However, new cells formed further west during the mid afternoon over western Ohio. It was this new cluster of convection that would intensify due to the strong mid and upper level dynamics. Several of the new cells formed and intensified on the southern or southwestern flank of the overall larger area of showers and thunderstorms. This area of convection stretched further to the northeast into eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. This allowed an unimpeded low level moisture inflow into the new development. Surface dew points ahead of the cold front reached into the mid 60s. Most of the severe thunderstorms exhibited strong rotation, resulting in the spawning of 5 tornadoes. Four of these 5 tornadoes were in Ohio. One of the 4 Ohio tornadoes crossed from Fairfield County into western Perry County. Another 1 of the 4 crossed from Perry into northwestern Morgan County. One tornado patch was solely in western Athens County. The damage continued another 10 miles in Athens County from a strong rear flank downdraft. Finally, the last of the 4 tornadoes in Ohio crossed the Ohio River from northeastern Meigs County into southern Wood County in West Virginia. From storm surveys, this was the strongest tornado. The last tornado path in this outbreak was solely in western West Virginia. Luckily, there were no fatalities in southeastern Ohio. However, there was one death on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.