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.
76.9 inches of snow per year
Located in
Randolph County, West Virginia
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, USA. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins, a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,094 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County. Elkins is home to Davis and Elkins College and to the Mountain State Forest Festival, held in early October every year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
50.3 inches of snow per year
Located in
Raleigh County, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. Beckley was named in honor of John James Beckley, who was the first Clerk of the House of Representatives and the first Librarian of Congress. It was founded by his son Alfred Beckley. The current mayor is Rob Rappold
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
45.4 inches of snow per year
Located in
Upshur County, West Virginia
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,639 at the 2010 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, held annually on the third week of May. The city is located 115 miles northeast from the capital city of Charleston and 140 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
44.0 inches of snow per year
Located in
Fayette County, West Virginia
Oak Hill is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States and is the primary city within the Oak Hill, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area. The micropolitan area is also included in the Beckley-Oak Hill, WV Combined Statistical Area. The population was 7,730 at the 2010 census. Country singer Hank Williams was discovered to be dead while the car in which he was a passenger was stopped in Oak Hill, and Oak Hill is generally accepted to be his place of death.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
39.3 inches of snow per year
Keyser is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,439 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
37.7 inches of snow per year
Grafton is a city in – and the county seat of – Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 5,164 at the 2010 census. Both of West Virginia’s national cemeteries are located in Grafton. Mother’s Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908 and the city is home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine. Grafton was one of the first places to observe Memorial Day in the United States. Grafton originally developed as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, serving numerous branches vital to the local coal industry.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
36.9 inches of snow per year
Located in
Marion County, West Virginia
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marion County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
32.9 inches of snow per year
Located in
Harrison County, West Virginia
Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 8,149 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
31.5 inches of snow per year
Located in
Kanawha County, West Virginia
Charleston is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of West Virginia, and the county seat of Kanawha County. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers. As of the 2013 Census Estimate, it had a population of 50,821, while its metropolitan area had 224,743. It is a center of government, commerce, and industry.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
30.9 inches of snow per year
Located in
Mercer County, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area, which has a population of 107,342.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is West Virginia’s statewide median.
On the map
Where West Virginia’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
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 2026. 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), and 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.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In West Virginia
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| 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 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 32 West Virginia cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In West Virginia For 2026
If you’re looking for the West Virginia cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in West Virginia are Elkins, Beckley, Buckhannon, Oak Hill, Keyser, Grafton, Fairmont, Bridgeport, Charleston, and Bluefield. Not sold on West Virginia? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Snowiest Cities In West Virginia FAQs
What is the snowiest city in West Virginia?
Elkins is the snowiest city in West Virginia for 2026, with 76.9 inches of snow in an average year, per NOAA data. Beckley and Buckhannon are next.
What are the snowiest cities in West Virginia?
The snowiest cities in West Virginia are Elkins, Beckley, Buckhannon, Oak Hill, Keyser, Grafton, Fairmont, Bridgeport, Charleston, and Bluefield. We ranked all 32 West Virginia cities with measurable snowfall.
How much snow do West Virginia’s biggest cities get?
Charleston averages 31.5 inches of snow a year, Huntington gets 14.1, and Parkersburg gets 14.9. Wherever you land in West Virginia, the shovel situation varies a lot.
Which city on the list gets the least snow?
Huntington gets the least snow of the 32 West Virginia cities with measurable snowfall. It still made the list, which is more than most of the Sun Belt can say.
Where does the snowfall data come from?
Average annual snowfall comes from NOAA weather station records. Cities are ranked purely on that average — no bonus points for dramatic blizzard stories.
