National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Threats Continue into the Weekend

Severe thunderstorms are expected from the southern Plains to the Midwest through Friday night. Severe storm hazards may include large hail, severe winds, and tornadoes, some of which may be strong. There will be another chance for severe thunderstorms on Saturday for portions of Texas, the Lower Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio Valley. Storms could result in locally heavy rain and flash flooding. Read More >

During the early morning hours of December 21st, a train derailed on the bridge over the Potomac River near "The Point" in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  Among other damage, the train derailment destroyed the National Weather Service stream gauge, which was housed on this bridge.

For additional information from the National Park Service, visit this link.

Stream gauge observations will generally not be available at Harpers Ferry, until further notice.  Some manual observations may be taken, if staffing allows, during high water / flood events.  At this time, it is unclear when -- or if -- the gauge will be able to be reinstalled at this location.  We do intend to continue to provide river forecasts at Harpers Ferry, as long as doing so remains feasible.

We will provide updates on the status of the observational gauge when we have them.