EF2 Tornado — Hancock, West Virginia

2024-05-08 · near Arroyo, Hancock, West Virginia

Event narrative

A supercell thunderstorm, embedded within a broken line of thunderstorms, produced a series of tornadoes as it tracked across eastern Ohio, the northern West Virginia panhandle, and western Pennsylvania during the early morning hours on May 8th.

After crossing the Ohio River south of Wellsville, the tornado reached peak intensity as it crossed the community of Fairhaven several

miles south of Chester, West Virginia. Extensive tree and structural damage was observed along International Drive and Locust Hill Road. There were multiple homes that lost their entire roof and sustained damage to side walls. Numerous barns and outbuildings were completely destroyed. All mature hardwood and softwood trees, some well over 100 years old, were snapped with a few lingering hardwood trees that were debarked. A high-end EF2 rating of 130 mph was observed in this location. Pittsburgh Doppler radar velocity signatures in this area were at the high end of those observed historically, coupled with a significant debris signature aloft. Further damage was observed across Route 8 extending back uphill into the next ridge line, where an auto repair metal outbuilding was destroyed, along with damage sustained to several vintage automobiles. The adjacent property suffered loss of roofing, a porch, and an addition. The tornado then crossed into Pennsylvania.

Wider weather episode

Potent low pressure tracked across the Upper Midwest from May 7th into May 8th, pushing an occluded boundary across the Upper Ohio Valley. Strong warm and moist advection kept conditions favorable for convection into the overnight hours, with high levels of shear and a surface trough also supporting storm development. Cyclic supercell structures supported a few instances of straight line wind damage in the surrounding region. The only report of severe weather in the northern West Virginia panhandle ended up being part of the track of one of the stronger and more significant tornadoes in the recent history of the region, a high-end EF2 that ultimately tracked across 15 miles and three states.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.5630, -80.6530)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1184681. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.