CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Forecasters with the National Weather Service are keeping a close eye out for the train.
Training is the term used to describe weather systems which pack heavy rain, high winds, and strike the same location repeatedly in a brief period of time.
“It’s a matter of where the individual storms form and if a couple move over the same area at once,” said meteorologist Ray Young. “Of course the area we’re most concerned about is those that already received heavy rainfall because those areas will be primed.”
This week the atmosphere over West Virginia is loaded with moisture and the storms releasing the accumulated precipitation are apt to break out anywhere. Young said the area from Huntington to Teays Valley and a narrow band north of Charleston are presently the areas of most concern due to heavy rainfall Wednesday night. However, he said any area is still susceptible to flooding rains and they have issued a flash flood watch for much of the state.
There’s also been heavy rain in some parts of north central West Virginia this week. Two storms produced power outages in and around Morgantown.
Young added the state could get a brief reprieve Thursday night when a cold front pushes through, but the typical June conditions will return next week.
“Over the next week, we’re going to have a lot of moisture that just sits on top of us. We’re going to be having scattered showers and thunderstorms,” he said. “Our forecast is going to sound like a broken record almost where you’ve got a chance every afternoon of scattered showers and thunderstorms.”