Meteorologists will determine if Jefferson County damage was caused by tornado

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — The National Weather Service is examining damage and other evidence from a wind storm Monday evening in Jefferson County to see if it was a tornado.

Only the NWS can officially determine if it was a tornado, but those who lived through it don’t need any expert opinion.

“One of the persons I interviewed was outside and he said it sounded like a freight train,” said Steve Allen, director of the Jefferson County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The sound is most often associated with a tornado. Damage was scattered in a narrow part of the Ranson community. Appearing on MetroNews “Talkline”, Allen said the damage was to a few homes and businesses in a tight area, but it was enough to rip off a couple of roofs and topple a semi-trailer.

It lit up the phones around 6:15 p.m. at the local 911 center in Charles Town. A few minutes later the National Weather Service triggered a tornado warning on phones across Jefferson County.

Allen said only one minor injury was reported.





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