WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – With fall approaching, West Virginians still have some time before snow becomes a regular possibility, but history shows the state’s higher elevations can see their first flakes well before winter officially begins.
There is no single average first-snow date that applies to all of West Virginia. Elevation and location create significant differences across the state, with the mountainous regions generally becoming cold enough for snow earlier than the lower elevations.
Historical snowfall records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that snow can occur in West Virginia during October, particularly across the central and northern mountains.
Older NOAA climatological data show October snowfall occurring in mountainous locations such as the Camden-on-Gauley area, while places including Charleston, Huntington and Parkersburg historically average little or no October snow.
In the Beckley area, the first flakes have occasionally arrived exceptionally early. National Weather Service records show the earliest first snow on record at Beckley occurred Sept. 29, 1967, when a trace was recorded. However, September snow is extremely unusual. Beckley’s 1991-2020 climate normal for September snowfall is 0.0 inches.
For much of West Virginia, October marks the beginning of the period when the first flakes become possible, while November brings a considerably greater chance of snow across the state. The timing can vary substantially from one year to another depending on the arrival of sufficiently cold air and moisture.
El Niño could play a role this winter
This year’s developing weather pattern adds another factor to the upcoming snow season.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said in its Aug. 13 update that El Niño is currently present and strengthening. Forecasters said there is a greater than 90% chance the event will become “very strong” during the fall and winter of 2026-27.
NOAA also said there is a 69% chance that the October-through-December period reaches a level that would exceed previous El Niño events dating to 1950 under the agency’s current strength metric.
That does not mean West Virginia is guaranteed an early, late, snowy or mild winter.
Historical data from the National Weather Service in Charleston show that El Niño winters have produced somewhat different conditions in the region. Looking at 16 El Niño winters since 1950, Charleston averaged 26.5 inches of snow during December, January and February, compared with a normal of 24.4 inches cited in the analysis. Those El Niño winters also averaged 34.7 degrees, 1.2 degrees colder than the 35.9-degree normal used in the study, while liquid precipitation averaged below normal.
However, the National Weather Service cautions against assuming every El Niño will produce the same result. NOAA similarly notes that the strength of an El Niño does not necessarily determine the strength of its effects in a particular location.
That makes it too early to say when West Virginia will see its first snowflakes of the 2026-27 season based on El Niño alone.
What climatology does show is a general progression: the higher mountains can begin seeing flakes during October, November brings a more widespread opportunity for the first snow across West Virginia, and unusually early events are possible but rare.
For Beckley, the September 1967 record demonstrates just how early flakes can fly, but with a normal September snowfall of zero, history suggests West Virginians should not confuse what is possible with what is typical.
