CHARLESTON, W. Va.– The Mountain State could be dealing with some severe weather over the coming days.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service are expecting two separate systems, one on Wednesday and another on Thursday, to bring a risk of severe storms for all of West Virginia.
Wednesday’s system will move in around 5 or 6 in the morning bringing with it the first wave of showers heading from west to east across the state.
“We are going to have an upper level disturbance passing along a warm front that will act as a focus of where the storms will be and with the upper levels riding over it, that will enhance the convection or the thunderstorms to develop in the afternoon,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Andy Roche.
The degree of clearing following the first wave will be the significant determining factor for the potential severity of thunderstorms in the late afternoon through evening hours.
“The entire area could be affected by severe storms mainly with damaging winds and large hail,” said Roche.
Roche adds that even a few tornadoes are possible in some areas of the state both days.
The severe storm threat is expected to begin around 2 p.m. as temperatures near 90 degrees. The threat will continue till about midnight at which point the warm front providing the focus for the storms will lift north and out of the forecast area.
But things are expected to pick up again Thursday as another system moves through the Mountain State.
“We have a low pressure system and a cold front and I believe thunderstorms could be even stronger on Thursday,” said Roche.
Temperatures are expected to be cooler on Thursday ranging in the low 80s for most of the day.
Roche did not know what areas of the state would be at greater risk of severe storms on Wednesday or Thursday.
Widespread flooding is not expected out of these two systems, however, repeated storms crossing the same locations could create more significant but localized flooding concerns. The flooding possibility will be higher on Thursday.
Roche said all the precipitation with the cold front should leave the eastern mountain areas by Thursday night leaving dry, sunny conditions in store for Friday.