West Virginia Climate
Top 5 Cities: Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Parkersburg, and Wheeling
This month in numbers
April 2026 was West Virginia's warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 15°C, a striking 4.7°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This also marked the 1st warmest April for maximum temperatures, reaching 22.83°C, which is 5.6°C above average. Looking at the broader picture, the February–April 2026 period ranked as the 4th warmest on record for average temperatures, at 8.3°C, and the 2nd warmest for maximum temperatures, at 15.35°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures.
What changed
West Virginia's significant warmth in April, ranking 5th warmest globally for the month, stands out even within a generally warm national context. The entire Ohio Valley region, to which West Virginia belongs, also experienced an unusually warm April, with West Virginia's anomaly being 0.45°C warmer than the group average. This past month's warmth contributed to the contiguous U.S. experiencing its warmest January-April period on record.
What’s driving change?
The pronounced warming in West Virginia is part of a broader trend, with the state's long-term warming trend at +1.49°C since the 1961–1990 baseline. This month's warmth also contributed to an unusual concentration of extreme weather events. West Virginia has seen three wildfire events in the past month, representing 100% of the annual total, and two drought events, also 100% of the annual total, indicating an unusually active period for these conditions. Additionally, a flood event occurred in mid-May, with some minor flooding reported in Kanawha County due to severe weather. These conditions are exacerbated by dry soils, which cannot cool themselves through evaporation, leading to amplified warming. More information on these events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal outlooks suggest continued warmer-than-average conditions for the coming months.
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.