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EF1 tornado in Wayne County, West Virginia

Tornado August 7, 2023 · Wayne County, West Virginia

EF1

Rating

6.3 mi

Whole path

250 yd

Path width

$23K

Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Lawrence County, Kentucky → Wayne County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 250 yards (0.14 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

An EF1 tornado briefly lifted as it crossed over from Lawrence County, Kentucky and touched back down in Wayne County on the afternoon of August 7th. Once it touched back down in West Virginia, an area of tree damage was noted and a house was slightly damaged at the intersection of Route 52 and Fort Gay Road. Some additional tree damage was observed further to the east up Fort Gay Road, which was estimated to be the end of the track.

The wider storm

Numerous showers and thunderstorms were observed in West Virginia on the afternoon of August 7th. Storms developed as a result of hot and humid conditions in advance of a cold front, then activity continued as the front crossed the region. Gusty winds within storms downed numerous trees and power lines, with a few instances of hail up to one and a half inch in size. Heavy rainfall led to flash flooding around Parkersburg and Lubeck in Wood County, and the towns of Lumberport and Bridgeport in Harrison County.

One storm spawned an EF1 tornado in the western parts of the state. The tornado initially touched down east of Yatesville Lake in Kentucky, then crossed into Wayne County in West Virginia. On the West Virginia side of the tornado path, an area of tree damage was noted and a house was slightly damaged at the intersection of Route 52 and Fort Gay Road. Some additional tree damage was observed further to the east up Fort Gay Road, which was estimated to be the end of the track.

Began near Brick Church (38.1360, -82.6302).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1125516. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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