Thunderstorm Wind in Wirt County, West Virginia

A large tree was blown down along Falling Timber Road near Palestine.

During the early morning hours of May 26th, parts of northern West Virginia were observing flash flooding as the result thunderstorms that produced heavy downpours the previous evening. Over two and a half inches of rain fell in spots across Taylor and Harrison Counties, which led to high water issues on local roads in the county. Flooding concerns subsided just before sunrise.

Later on that afternoon on the 26th, a bowing line of thunderstorms pressed into the Central Appalachians and caused widespread tree and power line damage. This line of convection had a history of producing strong wind gusts on the upwards of 60 miles per hour or greater as it crossed through the Tennessee Valley, and that remained the case during its journey through West Virginia. Storms first pressed into Mingo and Cabell Counties shortly after 2 PM and then overtook the bulk of the state through the afternoon and evening hours. Storms sprinted northeastward on the evening of the 26th out of the area.

Strong downbursts with storms set forth extensive tree damage throughout the forecast area. An NWS Storm Survey was conducted in Fayette County, finding tree damage indicative of a microburst with peak wind speeds of up to 110 miles per hour. Elsewhere, winds closer to 50-60 miles per hour promoted localized single to multiple downed trees.

A few brief tornadoes spawned on the leading edge of this bowing segment that afternoon. In West Virginia, an EF0 tornado occurred in the town of Winfield in Putnam County, resulting in tree and minor home damage.