CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After rain and high winds this weekend on the heels of last week’s heavy snow in places, state emergency officials were preparing to monitor river rises across West Virginia during the closing days of February.
“That’s going to be the thing we’re going to watch out for at the beginning of the week,” said Lora Lipscomb, public information officer for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
On Sunday, the focus was on potential damage from high winds.
High Wind Warnings from the National Weather Service remained in effect for northern West Virginia along with most of the Eastern Panhandle counties.
High Wind Warnings indicate sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts potentially reaching 60 miles per hour.
All other West Virginia counties were under Wind Advisories for winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and 50 mile per hour gusts.
“The wind on top of the rain is not helpful for us,” said Lipscomb of regions with already waterlogged soil.
The latest weather advisories from the National Weather Service are posted HERE.
As of early Sunday afternoon, the number of reported power outages for Appalachian Power, Mon Power and Potomac Edison topped 35,000.
Residents were being told to prepare for possible additional power outages with some of the strongest winds expected Sunday night in the mountain counties.
Throughout the weekend, those with the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the West Virginia National Guard and other state agencies were tracking the storm system that stretched from the Midwest into the U.S. Northeast.
Meteorologists said the heaviest rain had ended by midday Sunday.
Rainfall amounts reached 1.5 inches in some areas along and south of the Interstate 64 corridor between Huntington and Charleston, according to the National Weather Service, which caused streams rises and street flooding through the day Sunday.
Some rockslides and mudslides along with water on roads were reported in southern West Virginia. Several water rescues were necessary.
In Wayne County, eleven families from the Dunlow area were evacuated from low-lying areas to emergency shelters due to rising water.
Flood Warnings for Opequon Creek in Berkeley County and the South Branch Potomac River in Hampshire County were set to take effect on Sunday night and continue into Monday.