Strong Wind in Southeast Nicholas, West Virginia

Strong winds took hold over West Virginia on December 29th due to a tightened pressure gradient in the wake of a cold front early that morning. Winds picked up in intensity shortly after midnight and remained strong through the course of the day. Airports and other weather reporting sites within the forecast area noted wind gusts as strong as 40 to 57 miles per hour on the 29th, with the strongest winds occurring across the higher ridges of the northeast West Virginia mountains. Downed trees and power lines inflicted by these elevated winds caused thousands of customers to be without power in the state, with restoration processes delayed until the winds began to diminish. While the gradient eased its grip over the bulk of the region by the evening of December 29th, winds remained strong over the mountains until the afternoon of the 30th before weakening.