Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in West Virginia can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in Elkins, the snowiest place in West Virginia.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which West Virginia cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in West Virginia with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Mountain State.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table
The 10 Snowiest Cities In West Virginia For 2024
What’s the snowiest place in West Virginia with more than 5,000 people? That would be Elkins with an average annual snowfall of 76.9 inches.
Read on below to see where your town ranked, you snow angels.
And if you already knew these places were snowy, check out the best places to live in West Virginia or the cheapest places in West Virginia.
The 10 Snowiest Cities In West Virginia For 2024
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Population: 7,244
Average Annual Snowfall: 76.9 inches
More on Elkins: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 17,375
Average Annual Snowfall: 50.3 inches
More on Beckley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,650
Average Annual Snowfall: 45.4 inches
More on Buckhannon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 8,249
Average Annual Snowfall: 44.0 inches
More on Oak Hill: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 5,173
Average Annual Snowfall: 37.7 inches
More on Grafton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 18,773
Average Annual Snowfall: 36.9 inches
More on Fairmont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 8,338
Average Annual Snowfall: 32.9 inches
More on Bridgeport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 50,566
Average Annual Snowfall: 31.5 inches
More on Charleston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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Population: 10,431
Average Annual Snowfall: 30.9 inches
More on Bluefield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How We Determined The Cities In West Virginia With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in West Virginia, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Mountain State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2024. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in West Virginia.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities:
- Charleston — 31.5 inches
- Huntington — 14.1 inches
- Parkersburg — 14.9 inches
The snowiest cities in West Virginia are Elkins, Beckley, Buckhannon, Oak Hill, Keyser, Grafton, Fairmont, Bridgeport, Charleston, and Bluefield.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
If you’re curious, here are the places that get the least amount of snow in West Virginia with at least snow snowfall:
- Huntington — 14.1 inches
- Parkersburg — 14.9 inches
- Pea Ridge — 15.7 inches
For more West Virginia reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In West Virginia
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elkins | 76.9 | 7,244 |
| 2 | Beckley | 50.3 | 17,375 |
| 3 | Buckhannon | 45.4 | 5,650 |
| 4 | Oak Hill | 44.0 | 8,249 |
| 5 | Keyser | 39.3 | 5,320 |
| 6 | Grafton | 37.7 | 5,173 |
| 7 | Fairmont | 36.9 | 18,773 |
| 8 | Bridgeport | 32.9 | 8,338 |
| 9 | Charleston | 31.5 | 50,566 |
| 10 | Bluefield | 30.9 | 10,431 |
| 11 | Princeton | 29.2 | 6,082 |
| 12 | Brookhaven | 28.7 | 5,384 |
| 13 | South Charleston | 27.6 | 13,276 |
| 14 | Morgantown | 26.8 | 30,164 |
| 15 | Cheat Lake | 26.6 | 9,219 |
| 16 | Dunbar | 26.6 | 7,798 |
| 17 | Clarksburg | 25.8 | 16,347 |
| 18 | Cross Lanes | 25.2 | 10,567 |
| 19 | St. Albans | 24.1 | 10,882 |
| 20 | New Martinsville | 24.1 | 5,295 |
| 21 | Weirton | 23.5 | 19,432 |
| 22 | Nitro | 23.0 | 6,711 |
| 23 | Martinsburg | 22.5 | 17,564 |
| 24 | Charles Town | 19.7 | 5,587 |
| 25 | Wheeling | 18.4 | 27,894 |
| 26 | Moundsville | 17.7 | 8,888 |
| 27 | Teays Valley | 16.5 | 13,848 |
| 28 | Vienna | 15.8 | 10,623 |
| 29 | Hurricane | 15.8 | 6,388 |
| 30 | Pea Ridge | 15.7 | 6,323 |
| 31 | Parkersburg | 14.9 | 31,133 |
| 32 | Huntington | 14.1 | 48,944 |