West Virginia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, and Wheeling
This month in numbers
West Virginia experienced its 2nd warmest March on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 9.83°C, a significant 4.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Maximum temperatures also ranked 2nd highest on record for March, reaching an average of 17.33°C, which is 5.8°C above the baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the January–March 2026 period in West Virginia saw an average temperature of 2.52°C, 1.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 24th warmest such period on record. Precipitation for the same three-month period was notably drier, ranking as the 68th driest on record with 67.4 mm, a deficit of 15.6 mm compared to the baseline. West Virginia's March 2026 average temperature anomaly of +4.57°C placed it 25th out of 234 regions globally. The entire Ohio Valley US climate region, which includes West Virginia, also experienced a significantly warmer March, with a group mean anomaly of +4.84°C.
What’s driving change?
The significantly warmer temperatures in West Virginia during March, and the broader trend of warmer conditions across the US, are influenced by global climate patterns. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C for February-April 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of an El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 61% chance for May-July and a 79% chance for June-August. This shift could bring warmer and drier conditions to the region. West Virginia has also been experiencing drought conditions, with two drought events logged over the past 12 months, both occurring recently, representing an unusual concentration. Additionally, a flood event was recorded in April 2026, which is also 100% of the annual total, suggesting an unusual concentration of flood activity. Rainfall from March 31 to April 4, 2026, totaled an impressive 3 to 6 inches across the area, leading to some rivers reaching Minor or Moderate flood stage. For more details on extreme weather events, visit Extreme Weather tracker.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for West Virginia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in West Virginia changing?
West Virginia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for West Virginia come from?
Climate data for West Virginia comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the West Virginia climate data cover?
The West Virginia climate profile covers Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg and surrounding areas. West Virginia climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the West Virginia climate update refreshed?
The West Virginia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.