PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement and severe thunderstorm watch Friday afternoon and into the evening.
The severe thunderstorm watch went into effect at 1:25 p.m. It expires at 9:00 p.m. Friday night.
It’s been issued for Monongalia, Marion, Preston, Wetzel, Ohio, Brooke, Hancock, and Marshall counties.
In the special weather statement, the National Weather Service describes “a line of strong thunderstorms capable of producing small hail and gusty wind” impacting parts of Monongalia, Wetzel, and Marion counties. Parts of southwestern Greene County are also included in the statement.
The radar indicated strong thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Hundred in Wetzel County, to Mannington in Marion County, to Lumberport in Harrison County.
Wind gusts could reach up to 55 miles per hour.
Commuters on I-79 north of Morgantown near the West Virginia/Pennsylvania line, but still south of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, are asked to proceed with caution.