NORMAN, OKLAHOMA — The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center issued a severe thunderstorm watch at 12:40 p.m., an upgrade on a hazardous weather outlook issued Monday.
The counties of Monongalia, Marion, Preston, Tucker, Taylor, and Wetzel are all included in the watch.
“We’ve got a strong cold front baring down over the area,” Accuweather Senior Meteorologist Bob Larson said. “The front has triggered storms that’ll be moving through. Any thunderstorm is likely to bring very heavy rainfall at the risk of flash flooding. There’s also the potential for damaging wind gusts as the storms move through.”
“They are fast moving, so we’re not expecting storms to linger through the night. After early evening storms, just a couple of leftover showers.”
Further south, the watch includes the counties of Barbour, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie, and Upshur. In total, 30 West Virginia counties are listed under the watch, which expires at 9:00 p.m Tuesday night.
“It is a large watch area that extends 30 counties,” Larson said. “It also extends from here north through all of Western Pennsylvania. And north of there it becomes a tornado watch across western New York state. ”
“So, widespread area of severe weather today as this strong cold front moves through. The front dropping down from Ontario. It’ll be moving across New York state, Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and, of course, here through West Virginia.”
Larson said the rain will be heavy and the winds could be damaging, but said widespread flooding isn’t expected.
“There’s going to be heavy downpours, and there’s often the risk of flash flooding when this occurs,” he said. “The one saving grace is that the storms will be fast moving. It’s not the type of situation where storms stall and linger over a given community for hours on end. That’s when we have the real high risk of flooding. That’s not the case with these storms.”
Additionally, Larson said the speed with which the storms are likely to move will help avoid the risk of widespread flooding — but said the risk of flash flooding does exist.
“Quick downpours, certainly flooding in poor drainage areas, certainly the risk of flash flooding, but I don’t think we have rain lasting long enough for there to be widespread flooding,” he said.
It remains unclear exactly how strong wind speeds are projected.