Charleston Metro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Charleston Area is about the same as West Virginia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Charleston Area is about the same as West Virginia average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #510
| Charleston Area | 0.03 |
| 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, #129
| Charleston Area | 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, #770
| Charleston Area | 25.24 |
| 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 10,034 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Charleston Area 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: | 3 | Cold: | 114 | Dense Fog: | 8 | Drought: | 84 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,815 | Hail: | 2,630 | Heat: | 82 | Heavy Snow: | 188 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 46 | Landslide: | 2 | Strong Wind: | 177 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,358 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 27 | Winter Storm: | 123 | Winter Weather: | 74 |
| Other: | 302 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Charleston Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Charleston Area.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Charleston Area.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 6 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Charleston Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 25.9 | 1990-05-26 | 2 | 38°09'N / 81°13'W | 0.50 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fayette | |
| 34.8 | 1961-02-25 | 2 | 37°59'N / 81°09'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fayette | |
| 47.4 | 1967-03-13 | 2 | 38°57'N / 81°54'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Meigs | |||
| 48.4 | 1965-04-08 | 3 | 38°21'N / 82°35'W | 38°20'N / 82°31'W | 3.60 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Wayne |
| 48.8 | 1974-04-04 | 3 | 37°48'N / 81°01'W | 37°50'N / 80°58'W | 3.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Raleigh |
| 49.2 | 1974-04-04 | 3 | 37°40'N / 81°16'W | 37°42'N / 81°06'W | 9.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Raleigh |
* 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.