Thunderstorm Wind — Randolph, West Virginia

2020-04-09 · near Valley Head, Randolph, West Virginia

Event narrative

Several trees were downed in the Valley Head area.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure system crossing through the state inflicted multiple rounds of severe weather across West Virginia. Starting on the 7th, a warm front draped across the Ohio Valley was the primary focus for convection to develop that evening. These storms produced large hail across portions of northern West Virginia. A brief lull in storms during the day of the 8th primed the atmosphere once more for severe thunderstorms to arise ahead of a cold front which passed through late that night. During which time, another round of thunderstorm wind damage, hail, and flash flooding occurred late that evening and into the early morning hours of the 9th. Local cooperative observers reported one to two inches of rainfall occurred with this second round of convection. Strong synoptic winds of 35-45 miles per hour on the backside of the disturbance remained in place before high pressure finally built into the region.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.5500, -80.0200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 876854. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.