lower eastern section to more than in higher parts of the Allegheny Front. Valleys in the east have lower rainfall because the Allegheny mountain ridges to the west create a partial rain shadow. Slightly more than half the rainfall occurs from April to September. Dense fogs are common in many valleys of the Kanawha section, especially the Tygart Valley. West Virginia is also one of the cloudiest states in the nation, with the cities of Elkins and Beckley ranking 9th and 10th in the U.S. respectively for the number of cloudy days per year (over 210). In addition to persistent cloudy skies caused by the damming of moisture by the Alleghenies, West Virginia also experiences some of the most frequent precipitation in the nation, with Snowshoe averaging nearly 200 days a year with either rain or snow. Snow usually lasts only a few days in the lower sections but may persist for weeks in the higher mountain areas. An average of of snow falls annually in Charleston, although during the winter of 1995–1996 more than three times that amount fell as several cities in the state established new records for snowfall. Average snowfall in the Allegheny Highlands can range up to per year. Severe weather is somewhat less prevalent in West Virginia than in most other eastern states, and it ranks among the least tornado-prone states east of the Rockies. Adjacent states Pennsylvania (North) Maryland (Northeast) Kentucky (Southwest) Virginia (East) Ohio (West) Flora and fauna Major cities Originally, the state capital was Wheeling, from 1863 to 1870. It was then moved to Charleston, a more central city, from 1870 to 1875, when it returned to Wheeling. In 1885, the capitol burned down and it was moved back to Charleston that year, where a vote was held to determine the permanent capital between Charleston, Clarksburg, and Martinsburg. Charleston was selected, and it has remained the capital since. There are 232 incorporated municipalities in West Virginia. Metropolitan areas Beckley Charleston Huntington-Ashland Morgantown Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna Weirton-Steubenville Wheeling Other metropolitan areas that contain cities in West Virginia, but are primarily in other states include: Cumberland Hagerstown-Martinsburg Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Winchester Micropolitan areas Bluefield Clarksburg Elkins Fairmont Logan Point Pleasant Demographics As of the 202 United States census the population of West Virginia was 1,793,716 which was a 3.2% decrease since the 2010 United States census. The center of population of West Virginia is located in Braxton County,