Fall Begins This Sunday (September 22nd) at 8:44 AM EDT
Published 2024-09-19
The autumnal (fall) equinox will take place Sunday, September 22nd at 8:44 AM EDT, marking the official start of astronomical fall.
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The autumnal (fall) equinox will take place Sunday, September 22nd at 8:44 AM EDT, marking the official start of astronomical fall.
It was a warm spring across all of the NWS Charleston forecast area. Mean temperatures for the 2024 spring season were generally 2.5 to 4.5 degrees above normal. This translated into all six official NWS Charleston climate locations making the top 5 in terms of their warmest mean spring temperatures on record, along with several also making their top 10 in terms of least snowy springs on record.
A brief EF1 tornado has been confirmed in Wood County, east of Parkersburg, occurring on the evening of May 9, 2024. Estimated peak winds were 90 mph, with a path length of 3.4 miles. In addition to tree damage along the path of the tornado, a mobile home and barn were flipped over where the tornado reached peak intensity. Please click the link for more details.
It was a warm April across all of the NWS Charleston forecast area. Mean temperatures for the month of April were generally 2 to 4 degrees above normal, locally higher in some locations. This translated into all six official NWS Charleston climate locations making the top 10 in terms of their warmest mean April temperatures on record.
On or about June 4, 2024, at 1430 UTC, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Central Operations (NCO) will migrate the National Weather Services (NWS) Website, https://weather.gov/, including all Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), River Forecast Centers (RFCs), Center Weather Service Units (CWSUs), and National Program Web Pages, to new infrastructure and decommission legacy URLs.
Effective on or about April 22, 2024 and continuing through September 30, 2024, the NWS is seeking user feedback on experimental HeatRisk grids in the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) and the WPC HeatRisk contiguous U.S. (CONUS) Viewer.
The NWS Charleston Frost/Freeze Program has started for much of our forecast area. With sensitive vegetation starting to grow, frost and freeze headlines will now be issued for the lowlands of West Virginia, Buchanan and Dickenson counties in Virginia, northeast Kentucky, and southeast Ohio. Please click the link for more details.
Wayne County was designated as the 19th StormReady County in West Virginia at a ceremony during the Wayne County Commission Meeting on Monday, April 15, 2024.
A historic severe weather outbreak occurred on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024 across the NWS Charleston, WV County Warning Area with 17 confirmed tornadoes and nearly 100 locations that experienced non-tornadic wind damage.
This page houses many weather safety resources, graphics, and videos that are accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
The 1974 Super Outbreak occurred on April 3-4, 1974 and is the second largest outbreak on record. A total of 148 tornadoes occurred within 24 hours on April 3-4, touching down in 13 states and killing more than 300 people and injuring over 6,000 people. The Appalachian region was not immune to the tornado outbreak. Please click the link to learn more about the event 50 years later.
This week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in West Virginia! Follow #ReadyWVwx on social media, and check out our partners at West Virginia Emergency Management Division and ReadyWV! for tips and information on how to be Weather-Ready for the spring severe weather season.
Severe weather can occur at any time of the year and Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week allows Ohioans the opportunity to learn the best ways to be prepared and stay safe during inclement weather.
"Spring" Forward this Sunday! Daylight Saving Time Begins 2 AM Sunday, March 10th.
Volunteers of all ages are needed to report valuable rain, hail, and snow measurements. The National Weather Service relies on volunteer weather observers that take precipitation readings in their own backyard. Many observers are needed because precipitation is highly variable. You can help and anyone can join! All you need is a rain gauge. Please click the link to learn more!
lease join us in promoting severe weather safety during this year's "Severe Weather Awareness Week". The National Weather Service asks emergency management, public safety officials, local media and Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors to help join forces in improving the nation's readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience against severe weather during the upcoming season.
March 1-7, 2024 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kentucky. Severe weather can occur anytime of the year, and can bring many different hazards and impacts to the region. Severe Weather Awareness week is your reminder that you need to be Weather Ready for all types of hazards, such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, large hail, lightning, heavy rain, flooding, and high winds.
A fast-moving disturbance affected the region with accumulating snowfall on February 16-17. Precipitation began as a rain/snow mix across portions of the lowlands and southern mountains, with mainly snow elsewhere. Precipitation quickly transitioned to snow area-wide throughout the evening on February 16th, with a quick burst of moderate to heavy accumulating snow then impacting much of the area.
The National Weather Service in Charleston, WV is now accepting applications for summer 2024 student volunteers! Applications will be accepted until 5 PM on February 9th.
The December 23-26, 2022 Arctic Blast brought multiple hazards to the region. Gusty winds combined with very cold temperatures to produce dangerous to life threatening wind chills. While conditions were bad locally, much of the rest of the country felt the effects of this system as well. This truly was a widespread, high impact cold wave. Click the link for a look back at this historic event.
Snow showers occurred across the region on December 18-19 courtesy of a vigorous shortwave trough moving through the area and moisture from the Great Lakes. Totals over 5" were reported in the higher mountainous terrain, with 2-4"+ across the surrounding lower mountain elevations. Snow amounts across the lowlands were on the low side, generally 2" or less. Please click the link for more details.
An Alberta Clipper crossed through the area late on Tuesday, December 5th. While precipitation would begin as rain across most locations outside of the mountains, a transition to snow showers would occur throughout Tuesday evening/night for all of the higher terrain as the system moved south of the area and upslope flow commenced, with snow totals there of 1-4"+ by Wednesday afternoon/evening.
Governor Jim Justice, along with the West Virginia Emergency Management Division and the National Weather Service offices that service the state, have designated November 13-17 as Winter Weather Awareness Week in West Virginia. This campaign offers a great opportunity to prepare for the winter weather hazards that will occur during the upcoming winter season.
National Weather Service meteorologists supplement technology, i.e. WSR-88D Doppler Radar, with “ground truth†information gathered from spotters, the public and other government partners. Accurately and timely reports verify what we see on radar and add credibility to forecasts and warnings!
NOAA's 2023-2024 U.S. Winter Outlook by the Climate Prediction Center has been released. The outlook covers the time frame of December through February. For temperatures, odds favor a warmer-than-average winter across the NWS Charleston forecast area. For precipitation, there are equal chances for below-, near-, or above-average seasonal total precipitation. Please click the link for more details!
The National Weather Service in Charleston welcomes the community to an Open House at our new facility located in the West Virginia Regional Technology Park!
Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible later this afternoon into the overnight hours in advance of an approaching cold front. The main hazards are damaging winds and hail. An isolated tornado across the Mid-Ohio Valley cannot be ruled out. Additionally, heavy downpours within storms or repetitive rounds of rainfall may lead to localized flash flooding.
A historic late season snowstorm impacted the higher elevations of the West Virginia mountains on May 1-4, 2023, breaking all-time May snowfall records for our County Warning Area and the state of West Virginia, as a large disturbance stalled/spun north of the region, resulting in an extended high elevation snow event. Snow amounts up to 16" were reported in parts of Pocahontas/Randolph counties.
Please join us in promoting severe weather safety during this year's "Severe Weather Awareness Week". The National Weather Service asks emergency management, public safety officials, local media and Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors to help join forces in improving the nation's readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience against severe weather during the upcoming season.
March 1-7, 2023 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kentucky. Severe weather can occur anytime of the year, and can bring many different hazards and impacts to the region. Severe Weather Awareness week is your reminder that you need to be Weather Ready for all types of hazards, such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, large hail, lightning, heavy rain, flooding, and high winds.
The West Virginia Parkways Authority was declared StormReady during the Parkways Authority Board Meeting held on January 26, 2023 at the Tamarack Conference Center. The StormReady program is designed to help protect citizens from the dangers of all types of severe weather by arming America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property.
Upshur County was designated as the 18th StormReady County in West Virginia at a ceremony during the Upshur County Commission Meeting on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
The Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook is a graphical display of the risk of various meteorological elements over the next 7 days. We are asking for users to provide feedback on the product by filling out a survey.
SKYWARNâ„¢ Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League. It celebrates the contributions that SKYWARNâ„¢ volunteers make to the NWS mission, the protection of life and property.
SKYWARN spotters VOLUNTEER to become the “eyes and ears†of the National Weather Service. Spotters SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY by acting as a valuable source of information when hazardous weather occurs!
Harrison County was designated as the 17th StormReady County in West Virginia at a ceremony during the Harrison County Commission Meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022.
Bridgeport, West Virginia was designated as the 2nd StormReady® Community in West Virginia during the Bridgeport City Council Meeting on September 26, 2022.
Do you have an interest in weather and helping your community? Want to be a spotter but can't make a live webinar? We offer the option for prospective weather spotters to view a recorded webinar and then take an online quiz!
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating June 29th, 2012 Derecho. Impacts occurred along a 600 mile swath from Indiana to the Mid-Atlantic Coast. Wind gusts of 60-80+ mph resulted in widespread damage and power outages.
A long duration event would begin across the area late on the morning of February 2nd, lasting through midday on February 5th, as an arctic cold front to the northwest slowly moved towards and through the region. Waves of low pressure would ride along the front during its southeastward movement, bringing rounds of precipitation, heavy at times, into the area over the course of a three-day period.
A strong low pressure system moving up the Ohio Valley today will produce heavy rain and strong winds this afternoon and tonight. Wind gusts will increase today, reaching 40 mph or better by late in the day, even 50 mph over the higher ridges tonight. Heavier showers and a few thunderstorms can bring down even stronger wind gusts tonight. Click Read More for our Briefing page.
A complex winter storm brought a mixture of rain, sleet and freezing rain, which transitioned to a heavy, wet snow from January 16-17, 2022.
Waves of rain, moderate to heavy at times, affected the region over an extended period from December 31, 2021 through the early morning hours of January 2, 2022. Widespread rainfall of 1-3" produced numerous reports of flooding. New next day, a wave of low pressure would pass by to the south of the region spreading accumulating snow into part of the region.
A quick hitting winter storm produced heavy snowfall across much of the region beginning around noon on Thursday January 6 and ending during the early morning hours of Friday January 7, 2022. Overall, a swath of 6 to 12" of snow covered most areas from south of I-64 in northeast Kentucky northeastward across a large swath of West Virginia.
The rainfall monitor combines a dynamic mapping interface with a county based sortable table of all available rain gauge information for each county in West Virginia, along with our southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky and southwest Virginia counties.
Vinton County was designated as the 35th StormReady® County in Ohio during a ceremony at the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur, Ohio, on Tuesday December 21, 2021.
We have added an option to receive a recorded forecast for several locations across our region by calling our public phone line, 304-356-5885 and dialing 9.
We’ve updated a few of our web-based products in time for the winter season! These includes updates to our Winter Weather Forecast pages, the Winter Storm Severity Index and the Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook.
The Hazard Simplification project is designed to simplify the communication of information and improve the understanding and utility of forecasts and warnings. To serve this purpose, the National Weather Service will consolidate and/or reformat Flood Watches, Warnings, and Advisories beginning November 4, 2021.
U.S. Winter Outlook was issued on Thursday October 21 and calls for a drier, warmer South and wetter North due to a return of La Nina. Locally, much of the Mid Ohio Valley and central Appalachians can expect a warmer and wetter than normal winter ahead.
NWS Charleston, WV would like to recognize the Clay County, WV CERT Team and Executive Director Aiden Taylor as a WRN Ambassador of Excellence for 2021!
Starting August 2, the National Weather Service will better convey the severity and potential impacts from thunderstorm winds and hail by adding a “damage threat†tag to Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, similar to our Tornado and Flash Flood Warnings.
Rip currents are channelized currents of water flowing away from shore at surf beaches. Typically, they form at breaks in sandbars, and also near structures, such as jetties and piers, as well as cliffs that jut into the water. Rip currents are common and can be found on most surf beaches, including the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico.
April was characterized by below normal temperatures with below normal precipitation, except for a narrow area along I-64, which benefited from heavy rainfall on April 28th. Additional noteworthy events included a couple of late season snow event.
NOAA’s new U.S. Climate Normals give the public, weather forecasters, and businesses a standard way to compare today’s conditions to 30-year averages. Temperature and precipitation averages and statistics are calculated every decade so we can put today’s weather into proper context and make better climate-related decisions.
Weather records in our region date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s and that history is full of floods, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and crippling winter storms. The information in our Natural Hazard Risk Assessment webpage are meant to help document and quantify some of these threats in order to help inform the planning stage of severe weather preparedness.
March 2021 was characterized by above normal temperatures, but precipitation varied significantly and snowfall was nearly non-existent. The month began with heavy rainfall and flooding and also featured a mid-month severe weather event.
In a coordinated effort with the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA), Governor DeWine has proclaimed March 21-27 as Severe Weather Awareness Week and is encouraging all Ohioans to prepare themselves for spring and summer weather hazards and home emergencies.
The Annual Kentucky Statewide Tornado Drill will be conducted Tuesday, March 16 at 10:15 AM EDT (9:15 AM CDT). This will be a great opportunity to practice your tornado safety plan, whether you are at home, school, or work
Please join us in promoting severe weather safety during this year's "Severe Weather Preparedness Week". The National Weather Service asks emergency management, public safety officials, local media and Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors to help join forces in improving the nation's readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience against severe weather during the upcoming season.
February 2021 was a very active month with multiple high impact storms affecting the region, including a widespread winter storm at the beginning of the month, along with three significant winter storms in the course of a week near mid-month. The month concluded with an extended period of rainfall which led to moderate river flooding on some local rivers.
Waves of rain, heavy at times, moved across the region from the afternoon hours of Friday February 26th through the morning of Monday March 1st. By the time the event was over, 4 inches or more of rain had accumulated over parts of northeast Kentucky, central and southwest West Virginia and southwest Virginia, which resulted in moderate river flooding on several area rivers.
Back to back ice storms affected our region February 10th and 11th and then again February 15th and 16th, leading to widespread tree damage and extensive power outages across the Tri-State region of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. Another winter storm impacted the region February 17th through the 18th, hindering the efforts to restore power across the Tri-State region.
Do you have an interest in weather and helping your community? The National Weather Service in Charleston, WV will be offering FREE live online weather spotter training webinars from late February through the month of March. Want to be a spotter but can't make a live webinar? We also offer the option for prospective weather spotters to view a recorded webinar and then take an online quiz.
A slow moving winter storm impacted our region from late on January 30th into the morning of February 3rd.
An arctic cold front swept across the region during the afternoon and evening of Christmas Eve. Rain changed to a period of heavy snow as the colder air moved into the region with several inches of snow falling region-wide. This produced our first white Christmas in several years for many locations.
Thunderstorms today could contain damaging wind gusts and hail. Additionally, heavy rain and storm training today may lead to flash flooding.