Thunderstorm Wind in Putnam County, West Virginia

A downed tree was observed across Teays Valley Road in Hurricane.

A warm front lifted north through West Virginia on May 15th, followed by a cold front approaching from the west and stalling across central Ohio on the 16th. A low pressure system began to pivot northeast out of the Great Lakes region and eventually pushed the cold front eastward across the area on the 17th.

Severe thunderstorms that developed during the afternoon and evening of the 16th produced locally damaging wind gusts that downed trees and caused power outages across portions of West Virginia, northeast Kentucky, southeast Ohio, and southwest Virginia. Another round of rain and severe storms passed through in the early morning hours of the 17th, with precipitation exiting the central Appalachians around daybreak.

Rainfall amounts generally remained around an inch or less in southeast Ohio and northern West Virginia, while 1 to 2.5 inches fell across portions of northeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and southern West Virginia. The highest rainfall amounts, approaching 3.5 inches, were observed across portions of McDowell County in West Virginia and Buchanan County in Virginia. Excessive rainfall prompted localized flash flooding in McDowell County on May 17th before storms came to an end and floodwaters could recede.