SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Wind gusts in excess of 50 mph whirled their way through the Mountain State Saturday causing significant damage. It was virtually a repeat performance from the previous Saturday when thousands were left in the dark.
At 9 p.m., Appalachian Power Company said more than 42,000 of its West Virginia customers were without service because of downed power lines. The number represents about 9% of the utility’s total customers in West Virginia. The highest numbers of outages were recorded in Kanawha, Fayette, Raleigh, Wayne, Mingo and Logan counties.
Mon Power was reporting outages totaling more than 16,000 customers Saturday night in more than three dozen counties. The company listed Hancock and Wirt counties reporting the largest number of customers without service.
Peak wind gusts ranged from 45 to 65 mph Saturday before they started to diminish. A second cold front resulted in a noticeable loss of spring warmth: a 23 to 33 degree temperature drop off the day’s high by dusk is not typical. More tranquil on Sunday. #WVwx #OHwx #KYwx #VAwx pic.twitter.com/ta9OCpitkr
— NWS Charleston, WV (@NWSCharlestonWV) April 2, 2023
Appalachian Power said it hoped to make significant progress on the outages Sunday and Monday with less windy conditions in the forecast. The company said it had 1,600 workers dedicated to the restoration in its three-state service district including 200 additional workers from outside the area. As of Saturday night, the company wasn’t yet ready to commit when all service would be restored.
“We will not be able to provide accurate restoration estimates until the weather threat passes and damage assessors are able to determine the extent of damage to electrical facilities,” Appalachian Power said.
The utility did expect additional outages overnight with some strong gusts expected in some area.
A heavy gust Saturday afternoon tore off a part of the roof at South Charleston City Hall.
“It looks like the wind got under the insulation and pulled the rubber membrane off. It was pretty powerful,” South Charleston Public Works Director Gerald Burgy told MetroNews as city public works crews cleaned up the damage.
Burgy said they’ll need to have new insulation and a new roof put on. He said the structure looked okay.
The section of the roof that came off is above the mayor’s office and municipal courtroom.
“We’re getting tarp on it to cover things up,” Burgy said.
The wind appears to have lifted one corner and then just tore the roof off. If you find yourself in need of a roofing service due to wind damage or any other issue, consider checking out sites like Triple R Roofing.
“It’s just a sail then,” Burgy said.
Downtown South Charleston was crowded Saturday afternoon but there were no injuries from the damage.
Several buildings in downtown Logan also took on some damage.
The wind tore off a large section of siding on the front of McCormick’s Department Store. Owner Judy Turner McCormick wrote on Facebook, “Look what a sudden gust of wind did to our store today! Hard to match and replace. Thanks be to God that no one or vehicle was damaged that I know of. The weather forecast was correct!”
Dan and Dave’s Sporting Goods in Logan also had wind damage to its facade.
Sunday is expected to be a calmer, cooler day in West Virginia.