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

Northfork

205 people, 1,790 ft above sea level in McDowell County.

1,790 ftElevation, city center
205People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Sunny 33°
Sunny now Dew point 27° · WNW 10 mph · high 37°
City of Northfork River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Northfork 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 Northfork

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 3:00 PM EST
RIGHT NOW Mercer County Airport (KBLF) · 3:52 PM
Sunny
33° Sunny Feels like 25° · high of 37° near 4 PM
WindWNW 10 mphgusts 22
Humidity78%rising to 100% by morning
Pressure30.09 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. 120.32 in · 2 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for McDowell County
NWS Charleston and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 4:18 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:04 AM5:16 PM ↓
10 h 12 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 25% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
27
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
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
4p
7p
10p
1a
4a
7a
10a
1p
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
overcast
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
overcast
overcast
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
clear day
clear day
TEMPERATURE °F
37°
31°
41°
28°
48°
26°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
10
8
9
8
8
8
8
8
6
4
2
0
0
0
1
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 21 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
37° 31°
0% rain — WNW 10 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly cloudy Mostly 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 — NNE 5 A
WED Nov. 18 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
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 — NNW 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 Northfork about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the open Pacific three days ago, and over the northern Plains a day ago, about 3,600 miles back along its path. It came down from about 12,400 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 Northfork stands on

Northfork’s center stands about 1,790 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,630 ft to 2,770 ft, a difference of 1,140 ft: steep hill country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Bluff Mountain, about 3,550 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.

Northfork, cut in half from west to east

A section west to east, 24 miles through the town center
1,500 ft2,000 ft2,500 ft3,000 ft NORTHFORK1,790 ftWelch1,570 ftHigh point of the line3,420 ft ← WMatoaka · 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 14 mi of the line.

Pocahontas Formation

Sandstone. Age: Carboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old. About 10 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 Northfork’s rain goes

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

THE WAY DOWN, TO SCALE
Northfork≈ 1,800 mi · the Gulf of America
FROM THE CENTER OF NORTHFORK ≈ 1,800 mi to the Gulf of America North Fork Elkhorn Creek → 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 Northfork; river miles along the main stem, rounded.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Northfork’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1940 · Mullens 3 E, 13 mi north-northeast

Northfork 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 NORTHFORK 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 Northfork 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, 13 miles north-northeast, 230 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Northfork on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Beckley WV · 28 MI 28 miles northeast Charlotte NC · 156 MI 156 miles south Lexington-Fayette urban county KY · 171 MI 171 miles west Raleigh NC · 190 MI 190 miles southeast Columbus OH · 196 MI 196 miles northwest
FORECASTCITY
Map of Northfork, West Virginia. Explore the plate
WEST VIRGINIA · MCDOWELL

Northfork

205 people, 1,790 ft above sea level in McDowell County.

1,790 ftElevation
205People
1 sq miLand
Sunny 33°
SunnyDew point 27°
1

Today in Northfork

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly cloudy day 37° 0%
7p partly cloudy night 34° 0%
10p mostly cloudy night 32° 0%
1a mostly cloudy night 32° 1%
4a mostly cloudy night 31° 1%
7a mostly cloudy day 31° 1%
Clear
NEXT RAINNone this week
→
Sat0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
31
37
A
Sun0%
Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy
28
41
A
Mon0%
Partly cloudy; warmer Partly cloudy; warmer
26
50
B
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
29
57
A
Wed0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
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 Northfork stands on

Northfork’s center stands about 1,790 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,630 ft to 2,770 ft, a difference of 1,140 ft: steep hill country. The highest named summit within 15 miles is Bluff Mountain, about 3,550 ft, 14 miles east-northeast.

Northfork, west to east Northfork1,790 ft ← WE → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 18×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,790 ft
Within 3 miles1,630 to 2,770 ft
Lie of the landSteep hill country (1,140 ft of relief)
High point nearbyBluff Mountain, 3,550 ft, 14 mi east-northeast
Rock at the surfacePocahontas Formation
Its ageCarboniferous, 299 to 324 million years old
5

Northfork’s year

Northfork 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 Northfork 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, 13 miles north-northeast, 230 ft lower. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.
3

Where the rain goes

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

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

970 miles of the trip are on the Mississippi.