Alert archive / West Virginia / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Baltimore/Washington

July 21, 2026Grant County, Hardy County, West Virginia

NWS Baltimore/Washington issued this tornado warning at Jul 21, 2026, 7:05 PM EDT for Grant County, Hardy County, West Virginia. It was in force for 25 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Jul 21, 2026, 7:05 PM EDT (23:05 UTC)
Expired: Jul 21, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Baltimore/Washington
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Grant County, WV, Hardy County, WV

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:04 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 21, 2:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 145 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 941 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 772 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

747 
WFUS51 KLWX 212305
TORLWX
WVC023-031-212330-
/O.NEW.KLWX.TO.W.0021.260721T2305Z-260721T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
705 PM EDT Tue Jul 21 2026

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southeastern Grant County in eastern West Virginia...
  Southwestern Hardy County in eastern West Virginia...

* Until 730 PM EDT.

* At 704 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Petersburg, moving east at 30 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...For those in the direct path of a tornado touchdown, 
           flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Damage to roofs, siding, and windows may occur. 
           Mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed. Tree damage is 
           likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Petersburg and Rough Run around 710 PM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Masonville, Welton, Brake, and Dorcas.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3903 7918 3901 7885 3883 7894 3893 7923
TIME...MOT...LOC 2304Z 284DEG 25KT 3896 7917 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

BJL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Baltimore/Washington issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 21, 2:20 PM EDT	Flood Watch	LWX	Pendleton	7 hr
Jul 21, 6:06 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Grant, Pendleton	39 min
Jul 21, 6:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Hampshire	45 min
Jul 21, 6:19 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Hampshire	26 min
Jul 21, 6:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral	43 min
Jul 21, 6:38 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Hampshire	37 min
Jul 21, 6:45 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Grant, Pendleton	60 min
Jul 21, 6:56 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Pendleton	34 min
Jul 21, 7:03 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Hampshire, Hardy	10 min
Jul 21, 7:14 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Hampshire, Hardy	46 min
Jul 21, 7:24 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Pendleton	21 min
Jul 21, 7:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LWX	Grant, Hardy, Pendleton	30 min
Jul 21, 7:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Hardy	28 min
Jul 21, 7:42 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	LWX	Hardy, Pendleton	33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in West Virginia, 2026 Every tornado warning in 2026 Tornadoes in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.