Hail in Wirt County, West Virginia

Two consecutive days of thunderstorms producing primarily large hail swept through West Virginia on May 4th and 5th. Hail stones ranged from quarter sized and up to two inches in diameter in some cases. Many trained spotters observed hail covering the ground in places such as Buckhannon and Elkview on the 4th, then becoming more common across Kanawha and Wood Counties on the 5th. This was primarily due to low freezing levels at the time of the storms, allowing growing storms to capitalize on easier hail production. Storms also produced instances of damaging wind gusts, which resulted in downed trees and power lines. Thunderstorm activity on both days were heavily dictated by daytime heating, causing storm coverage and intensity to diminish quickly after sunset.