BRADSHAW, W.Va. — Investigators from the National Weather Service confirmed Friday the March 1st storm which struck much of West Virginia included a microburst in the town of Bradshaw in McDowell County.
The passing thunderstorm intensified for only a few minutes with winds topping 100 miles an hour. The damage left behind included several roofs blown off buildings, including the town hall which had the roof blown 200 yards away. Several mobile homes were also moved from their moorings by the high wind. The town’s sewer plant incurred damage as well.
Cleanup continues in the several communities today.
A microburst, according to the National Weather Service, is a downward rush of cold air colliding with warmer air on the surface. The events generally last less than five minutes and are usually limited on a radius of a couple of miles. The steep mountains surrounding the town also contributed to the damaging winds according to investigators. The wind was channeled through the steep hills and intensified.
The damage wasn’t limited to Bradshaw. Nearby communities of Iaeger and Welch also had trees blown into homes, roofs and porches removed, and structural damage to trailers.
A microburst was also confirmed in Eastern Kentucky from the March 1st storm and an actual EF1 tornado was confirmed just across the Ohio River in the community of Langsville, Ohio near Pomeroy from the same system.