CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The National Weather Service placed nearly half of the state’s 55 counties under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch Friday afternoon. The watch is scheduled to continue until 9 p.m.
A line of thunderstorms moving southeast from the Columbus, Ohio area could produce wind gusts of 60 mph, heavy rain and hail for an area stretching from Wheeling to Charleston.
The storms are expected to weaken as they move toward the eastern mountains and Greenbrier Valley.
Conditions are expected to significantly improve overnight Friday into the weekend. Lower humidity with temperatures in the low-80s are in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday.
The counties under the Severe Thunderstorm Watch include:
Barbour, Braxton, Brooke, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Jackson, Kanawha, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Putnam, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wetzel, Wirt and Wood.