Tag: Hazardous Weather Outlook

Severe Weather Moves Into The State 

Thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening have the potential to produce damaging winds and large hail, as well as heavy rainfall which could lead to minor flooding.

The eastern half of the state is under a hazardous weather outlook Monday afternoon and through the night. Thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening have the potential to produce damaging winds and large hail, as well as heavy rainfall which could lead to minor flooding.

“Some of these storms could produce some very heavy rain, to the tune of maybe as much as an inch, inch and a quarter in an hour’s time frame,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist Lee Hendricks. 

This storm system has battered the Great Plains region in recent days with deadly tornadoes and large hail.

Hendricks said although the worst of the system has moved well up into the north and weakened, there’s still a possibility of some isolated, severe weather.

“With any incoming weather system like this, with thunderstorms involved, you need to have a little bit of situational awareness of what’s going on, what’s expected to go on and pay attention,”  he said.

Hendricks said tonight’s storms will usher in a week of potential thunderstorms and milder temperatures.

“We’re looking at really only one day that we can honestly say you’re going to have sunny, dry weather and that’s going to be on Thursday,” he said. “Other than that, we’re going to have a chance for a shower or thunderstorm in the forecast pretty much through this coming Sunday.”

Hazardous Weather Possible Across West Virginia Monday

Update 12:50 p.m.: A freezing rain advisory is in effect for portions of the eastern mountains through 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service is warning of possible ice accumulations Monday evening into Tuesday, beginning with a sleet mix Monday afternoon, for Cannan Valley including Franklin, Davis, Thomas and Oakland, Maryland.

The National Weather Service has also issued a hazardous weather outlook for much of the rest of West Virginia Monday evening into Tuesday. 

Northeast Kentucky, southeast Ohio and southwest Virginia are also included in the forecast. West Virginia counties in beige are affected by the hazardous weather outlook. 

The National Weather Service says a cold front moving into the region Monday afternoon into Tuesday will bring showers, which may include heavy rainfall and wind gusts.

With the ground already saturated from previous storms, forecasters say the additional rainfall could cause localized flooding along small streams and creeks. The strong wind gusts could also cause weak trees to come down. 

A Wacky and Wild Winter in West Virginia

West Virginia’s going through a tough winter. Not just because several places have endured record low temperatures,  but also because it’s on pace to get more than usual amounts of snowfall.

West Virginia’s lowlands are on pace to get higher than normal amounts of snowfall this year, according to Joe Merchant, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Merchant adds however, that some of the highest elevations are receiving about the same amounts of snowfall as expected.

“It’s been an unusual few years,” he said. “We’ve seen quite a variance in the weather and the patterns that bring it over the past few years.”

Charleston, Morgantown, and Elkins, along with some other cities, are also seeing record low temperatures this winter.

West Virginians Urged to Stay Safe, Warm During Extreme Cold

From the W.Va. Dept. of Military Affairs and Public Safety:

Temperatures are forecasted to plunge well below zero degrees Fahrenheit throughout the state over the next 24 hours, and West Virginians are urged to take precautions. The severe cold and dangerous wind chills bring the threat of hypothermia and frostbite from prolonged exposure. Unsafe efforts to stay warm, meanwhile, can lead to fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Experts advise the following:
 

  • Stay indoors during such extreme winter weather. When venturing outside, it is dress in layers and limit skin exposure.
  • If required to travel, make sure your vehicle has a full tank and bring along blankets, extra warm clothing and such gear as a flashlight and ice scraper. 
  • Check on loved ones and neighbors who are older or disabled. Bring all pets indoors, and make sure animals have both a warm space and ice-free water. 
  •  Stay tuned to local radio, TV or other media for weather updates, or a NOAA weather radio if available.
  • Avoid frozen or broken pipes by ensuring plumbing is weatherproofed. Consider turning on a faucet to a trickle – but NEVER leave a faucet running in an empty house. If a pipe bursts, shut off the water supply. Use hot water or a hair dryer to thaw frozen pipes – NEVER an open flame.
  • Only rely on space heaters designed for indoor use and that meet the latest safety requirements. Keep a 3-foot space around heaters, and store any fuel properly. 
  • Make sure you have an emergency kit and a plan for your family to stay in contact in case of a power outage. 
  •  If you are left without heat, contact your local Office of Emergency Services or health department for the location of the nearest warming station or shelter.  

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management plans to provide additional information throughout this weather event.

Wintry Weekend Forecasted for Eastern Panhandle, Central & Southern West Virginia

Wintry weather is expected to bring snow and possibly sleet over the course of the weekend, according to advisories posted by the National Weather Service and their outposts around the region.

Their Charleston office has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Randolph and Pocahontas counties from Saturday, December 14 at 4 a.m. to Sunday, December 15 at 1 a.m.

* HAZARD TYPES…ACCUMULATING SNOW AT THE ONSET…CHANGING TO   FREEZING RAIN. * ICE ACCUMULATIONS…ONE TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…2 TO 4 INCHES. * TIMING…SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE TONIGHT AND WILL TRANSITION TO   SLEET THEN FREEZING RAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON ON SATURDAY. * IMPACTS…ACCUMULATING SNOW ON UNTREATED SURFACES WILL MAKE   DRIVING HAZARDOUS. THE TRANSITION TO FREEZING RAIN WILL FURTHER   COMPLICATE MATTERS WITH ICE BUILDING UP ON ALL SURFACES. THIS   MAY BRING DOWN SMALL BRANCHES FROM TREES AND WILL COULD MAKE   WALKWAYS DANGEROUS AS WELL. POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO ICE   ACCUMULATING ON POWER LINES. * WINDS…SOUTH 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. * TEMPERATURES…IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S.  

The Eastern Panhandle is also being asked to be on the lookout for hazardous weather. The National Weather Service’s operation in Sterling, Virginia says to be prepared for snow, sleet, and freezing rain. The Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 5 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday for Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, Tucker, Mineral counties.

A previously issued Winter Storm Watch is no longer in effect.

* ACCUMULATIONS…4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET. THE HIGHEST   ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE NEAR THE MASON-DIXON LINE. AROUND ONE   TENTH OF AN INCH OF ICE.   * TIMING…SNOW WILL BEGIN EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE   THROUGH THE DAY. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MIX WITH AND THEN CHANGE TO   SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN SATURDAY EVENING.   * TEMPERATURES…MID TO UPPER 20S LATE TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL   RISE INTO THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY   NIGHT.   * WINDS…NORTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY THEN   BECOMING NORTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH SATURDAY NIGHT.   * IMPACTS…ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY SATURDAY.   FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE ICY CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT. TRAVEL   WILL BE DANGEROUS DURING THIS TIME.  

And parts of southern West Virginia can also expect hazardous weather conditions, according to the National Weather Service’s Blacksburg, Virginia office.

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