Wednesday morning it was nearly 70-degrees but less than 24 hours later it was below freezing in many West Virginia communities as snow took the place of rain.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Greenbrier River at Alderson where it’s expected to crest more than four feet above flood stage Thursday afternoon. The Tygart River at Belington is also expected to come out of its banks.
(See state DOH Road Closure Report)
A flood warning is effect for the eastern panhandle and Monongalia County where small creeks and streams could rise quickly.
The rest of the state is under a wind advisory through late Thursday morning.
Meteorologists say snow will arrive Thursday night into Friday. It could left an inch or two accumulation creating slippery driving conditions Friday morning.
PREVIOUS A series of summer and spring-like storms rolled through West Virginia Wednesday morning, however, their destructive power turned out to be less than what a spring or summer storm might be.
“A storm like this in the summer time would cause a lot more problems,” said Appalachian Power’s Phil Moye. “In the summer there would be leaves on the trees and cause more resistance, right now with no leaves on the trees the wind is just blowing through them.
Moye said the storm left about 2,500 outages in their West Virginia service area Wednesday morning. Another advantage for Appalachian Power was the timing of the event during the daylight hours.
“Our crews are already out, they’re in their trucks and ready to respond,” he said. “That’s a big help, it’s a lot better than when it comes during the night.”
Mon Power reported 5,300 of its customers without power at noon Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said the line of fast-moving storms produced significant winds, but most reports of damage were minimal.
“We’ve had some trees down and some minor structural damage,” said David McGrath of the NWS in Charleston. “A few awnings have been damaged and things like that, top winds were about 40 to 50 miles per hour as the squall moved through.”
As the system exits West Virginia it will take the warm weather the state’s has enjoyed this week with it and temperatures are expected to drop 40-degrees or more in the next 24 hours.
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