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Shaded-relief map of Kimball, West Virginia: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
WEST VIRGINIA · MCDOWELL COUNTY

Kimball

248 people, 1,570 ft above sea level in McDowell County.

1,570 ftElevation, city center
248People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Clear 33°
Clear now Dew point 27° · WNW 12 mph · high 34°
City of Kimball River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Kimball plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Kimball

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 6:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Mercer County Airport (KBLF) · 6:52 PM
Clear
33° Clear Feels like 24° · high of 34° near 7 PM
WindWNW 12 mphno gusts
Humidity78%rising to 100% by morning
Pressure30.14 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 27° · Dryabout the same for three days
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Clear
Not this weeknone in the forecast for a week
LIKELY AMOUNT—nothing expected
LAST RAINNov. 130.31 in · 1 dry day
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for McDowell County
NWS Charleston and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 7:22 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:04 AM5:16 PM ↓
10 h 12 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
24
GOODAir quality index · ozone
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
overcast
mostly cloudy night
overcast
mostly cloudy day
overcast
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear day
clear night
TEMPERATURE °F
34°
31°
41°
28°
48°
26°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
8
9
8
8
8
8
8
6
4
2
0
0
0
1
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 22 to 32°

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 53° / 35°
SAT Nov. 14 Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
34° 31°
0% rain — WNW 8 A
SUN Nov. 15 Cloudy Cloudy
41° 28°
0% rain — WNW 8 A
MON Nov. 16 Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
50° 26°
0% rain — N 2 B
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
57° 29°
0% rain — N 5 A
WED Nov. 18 Sunny Sunny
60° 31°
0% rain — SE 5 A
THU Nov. 19 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
62° 36°
0% rain — SW 5 B
FRI Nov. 20 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
62° 36°
0% rain — NW 5 B
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Kimball about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 3,480 miles back along its path. It came down from about 13,400 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from British Columbia; at 10,000 feet, from the Pacific north of Hawaii. It feels dry all the same. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses and the GFS beyond them, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, SEVEN YEARS AGO Nov. 14, 2019

The coldest this week has been

13° on Nov. 14, 2019, the coldest reading for this week of the year since 1940. Next is 14° in 2014.

14°
13°
20142019
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Mullens 3 E record since 1940.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Kimball stands on

Kimball’s center stands about 1,570 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,430 ft to 2,530 ft, a difference of 1,100 ft: steep hill country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Pilot Knob, about 3,250 ft, 14 miles east-northeast.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Pocahontas Formation (sandstone), from the Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old.

The section below crosses 2 rock units mapped at the surface.

Roderfield to Crumpler, cut in half

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,500 ft2,000 ft2,500 ft3,000 ft KIMBALL1,570 ftLow point1,320 ftWelch1,830 ftElkhorn Creekabout 1,420 ftHigh point of the line3,420 ft ← W · RoderfieldCrumpler · E →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 9×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

New River Formation

Sandstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 19 mi of the line.

Pocahontas Formation

Sandstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 6 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE3
THE WATER

Where Kimball’s rain goes

A raindrop that lands in Kimball reaches the Gulf of America by way of Elkhorn Creek, the Tug Fork, the Ohio and the Mississippi: about 1,800 river miles.

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Kimball≈ 1,800 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF KIMBALL ≈ 1,800 mi to the Gulf of America Elkhorn Creek → Tug Fork → Ohio → Mississippi

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.

Traced down the USGS NHDPlus V2.1 river network from the Census center point of Kimball; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Kimball’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1940 · Mullens 3 E, 14 mi northeast

Kimball has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 22° in January. About 49 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

43°22°47°24°56°30°68°39°76°49°82°57°85°62°84°61°78°54°68°41°57°31°46°26° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 TODAY KIMBALL 48.6 in rain a year
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average85° / 62°high / low, the warmest month
January, average43° / 22°high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year48.6 inwettest months: July and May
Hottest on record100°FAugust 4, 2026
Coldest on record−17°FFebruary 21, 2015
Wettest day on record3.85 inMay 17, 2001
Snowiest day on record23.0 inMarch 13, 1993
90° days a year17none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°118and 14 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropicalKöppen Cfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 21, to the last in spring, about April 23 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingNov. 8 to March 27; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Kimball normally reaches 57° and falls to 31°. The record high is 81°, in 1993; the record low 13°, in 2019. The most rain on this date, 0.75 in, fell in 2008.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high43°47°56°68°76°82°85°84°78°68°57°46°
Normal low22°24°30°39°49°57°62°61°54°41°31°26°
Rain, inches3.903.504.504.225.054.505.534.203.112.943.134.06
Record high76° (2002)81° (2023)88° (2020)92° (2010)94° (1996)100° (2012)99° (2026)100° (2026)99° (1998)93° (2019)84° (2004)78° (2015)
Record low−14° (1994)−17° (2015)−4° (1993)20° (2021)26° (2026)40° (2025)48° (2010)42° (2025)32° (1993)22° (2008)7° (2014)1° (2022)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1940 at Mullens 3 E, 14 miles northeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Kimball on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Beckley WV · 31 MI 31 miles northeast Charlotte NC · 157 MI 157 miles south Lexington-Fayette urban county KY · 167 MI 167 miles west Raleigh NC · 194 MI 194 miles southeast Columbus OH · 194 MI 194 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Kimball, West Virginia. Explore the plate
WEST VIRGINIA · MCDOWELL

Kimball

248 people, 1,570 ft above sea level in McDowell County.

1,570 ftElevation
248People
1 sq miLand
Clear 33°
ClearDew point 27°
1

Today in Kimball

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy night 34° 0%
10p mostly cloudy night 32° 0%
1a mostly cloudy night 32° 0%
4a mostly cloudy night 31° 0%
7a overcast 31° 1%
10a overcast 37° 1%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
31
34
A
Sun0%
Cloudy Cloudy
28
41
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
26
50
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
29
57
A
Wed0%
Sunny Sunny
31
60
A
Thu0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
62
B
Fri0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
36
62
B
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, SEVEN YEARS AGO · NOV. 14, 2019

13°, the coldest this week of the year has been since 1940.

2

What Kimball stands on

Kimball’s center stands about 1,570 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,430 ft to 2,530 ft, a difference of 1,100 ft: steep hill country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Pilot Knob, about 3,250 ft, 14 miles east-northeast.

Kimball, west to east Kimball1,570 ftElkhorn Creekabout 1,420 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 17×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,570 ft
Within 3 miles1,430 to 2,530 ft
Lie of the landSteep hill country (1,100 ft of relief)
High point nearbyPilot Knob, 3,250 ft, 14 mi east-northeast
Rock at the surfacePocahontas Formation
Its ageCarboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old
5

Kimball’s year

Kimball has a humid subtropical climate. Summer afternoons average 85° in July; winter nights fall to about 22° in January. About 49 inches of rain fall in a normal year.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 12 48.6 in
July, average85° / 62° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average43° / 22° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain a year48.6 in · wettest months: July and May
Hottest on record100°F · August 4, 2026
Coldest on record−17°F · February 21, 2015
Wettest day on record3.85 in · May 17, 2001
Snowiest day on record23.0 in · March 13, 1993
90° days a year17 · none reach 100°
Nights at or below 32°118 · and 14 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHumid subtropical · Köppen Cfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 21, to the last in spring, about April 23 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Nov. 8 to March 27; normal lows fall below 32°
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Kimball normally reaches 57° and falls to 31°. The record high is 81°, in 1993; the record low 13°, in 2019. The most rain on this date, 0.75 in, fell in 2008.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1940 at Mullens 3 E, 14 miles northeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

≈ 1,800 mito the Gulf of AmericaElkhorn Creek → Tug Fork → Ohio → Mississippi

A raindrop that lands in Kimball reaches the Gulf of America by way of Elkhorn Creek, the Tug Fork, the Ohio and the Mississippi: about 1,800 river miles.

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.