Alert archive / West Virginia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 207, NWS Charleston, WV

July 18, 20266 counties in West Virginia

NWS Charleston, WV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 18, 2026, 5:19 PM EDT for 6 counties in West Virginia. It was in force for 41 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 2026, 5:19 PM EDT (21:19 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Charleston, WV
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Braxton County, WV, Calhoun County, WV, Gilmer County, WV, Jackson County, WV, Roane County, WV, Wirt County, WV

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:20 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 nearest sounding before it

Pittsburgh, PA (KPIT), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 198 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2026-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 510 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Pittsburgh, PA at 12:00Z on 2026-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 139 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
510 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
790 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 18, 1:37 PM EDT, 3 hours 42 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • 1) Rain and thunderstorms are expected during the day, and as a front crosses tonight into Sunday. Strong to severe storms could produce damaging wind gusts today. Heavy rain could also prompt localized flash flooding. 2) Impacts from wildfire smoke decrease today. 3) Next chance of heavy rain and strong storms arrives Tuesday.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 1:37 PM EDT, 3 hours 42 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Charleston WV
137 PM EDT Sat Jul 18 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...
Active today with strong storms and heavy downpours ahead of a
front. Briefly drier behind the front then another system
brings potential for heavy rain and strong storms Tuesday into
Tuesday night.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
1) Rain and thunderstorms are expected during the day, and as a
front crosses tonight into Sunday. Strong to severe storms could
produce damaging wind gusts today. Heavy rain could also prompt
localized flash flooding.

2) Impacts from wildfire smoke decrease today.

3) Next chance of heavy rain and strong storms arrives Tuesday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGE 1...

A low traverses southern Ontario and Quebec today and then continues
onward to the Maritime Provinces and Gulf of St. Lawrence on Sunday.
A cold front trailing this system will descend into the Middle Ohio
Valley tonight and then sink south towards the Virginia/North
Carolina border Sunday and Sunday night.

The presence of a warm, moist, and unstable environment ahead of the
front, combined with a passing shortwave, should facilitate
development of showers and thunderstorms across the area today.
Precipitable water values in excess of an inch and a half
should support heavy downpours which could prompt localized
flooding in poor drainage areas or locations impacted by
multiple storms. Scattered strong to severe storms could also be
capable of producing damaging wind gusts this afternoon and
evening.

A brief lull in activity may occur after sundown, then another round
of activity is expected to accompany the front across the area
overnight. Precipitation coverage tapers off from north to south as
the front recedes south on Sunday.

KEY MESSAGE 2...

Canadian wildfires will have less of an impact on the area as
smoke is swept northward today. That being said, an air quality
alert remains in effect for portions of northwest and north-
central West Virginia where some impacts could linger through
tonight.

KEY MESSAGE 3...

Drier for much of the area on Monday, then another low swings across
southern Ontario while an upper trough digs down into the eastern US.
This system is projected to bring the next chance of strong storms
and heavy rain to the area Tuesday and Tuesday night. SPC has
already highlighted a 15 percent risk of severe weather on
Tuesday while WPC has placed much of the area within a slight
risk of excessive rainfall.

Surface high pressure builds as the trough shifts east, allowing
quieter weather to take hold later in the week. This dry spell may
be rather short-lived as the first in a series of disturbances
is expected to approach the area this weekend.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...

A mix of MVFR to VFR ceilings will persist across the area while
showers and thunderstorms prompt sub-VFR visibilities at times
today. Conditions are expected to further deteriorate as a
front moves through overnight, bringing more rain and storms.
Fog may also develop behind the front early Sunday morning.
Conditions should then slowly improve to VFR during the day
Sunday.

Winds will generally be southwesterly today, then pivot to the
north behind the front overnight. In addition to sporadic gusts
into the teens to low 20s, stronger gusts will be possible
within storms.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY...

FORECAST CONFIDENCE: Medium.

ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Expect flight conditions to fluctuate in
RA/TS. Timing of improvements on Sunday may vary from the
forecast.

EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:
H = HIGH:   TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.
L = LOW:    TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.

UTC 1HRLY       17   18   19   20   21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04
EDT 1HRLY       13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   00
CRW CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
HTS CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
BKW CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
EKN CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    M
PKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
CKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H

AFTER 18Z SUNDAY...
IFR valley fog possible Sunday/Monday mornings.

&&

.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...Air Quality Alert until midnight EDT tonight for WVZ007>011-
     016>020-029>032-039-040.
OH...None.
KY...None.
VA...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...20
AVIATION...20

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:42 PM EDT, 37 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:48 PM EDT, 31 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 18, 4:54 PM EDT, 25 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 18, 5:02 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:02 PM EDT, 17 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 18, 5:04 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
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The office that day

Everything else NWS Charleston, WV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 11:21 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXNicholas39 min
Jul 18, 11:35 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXWebster40 min
Jul 18, 12:01 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBarbour, Taylor44 min
Jul 18, 12:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXCabell, Putnam40 min
Jul 18, 12:39 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLincoln, Wayne36 min
Jul 18, 12:52 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXFayette23 min
Jul 18, 12:54 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPocahontas36 min
Jul 18, 1:01 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPutnam44 min
Jul 18, 1:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXPocahontas3 hr
Jul 18, 1:15 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLincoln30 min
Jul 18, 1:17 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPutnam28 min
Jul 18, 1:44 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXCalhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Kanawha, Putnam, Roane61 min
Jul 18, 1:48 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXCabell, Putnam7 hr
Jul 18, 1:52 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLewis38 min
Jul 18, 1:56 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXHarrison34 min
Jul 18, 2:14 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXClay46 min
Jul 18, 2:18 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXDoddridge, Ritchie42 min
Jul 18, 2:31 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBarbour, Braxton, Lewis, Upshur44 min
Jul 18, 2:36 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXHarrison, Taylor39 min
Jul 18, 2:55 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXNicholas35 min
Jul 18, 3:08 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Taylor5 hr
Jul 18, 3:18 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPleasants, Wood27 min
Jul 18, 3:22 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXUpshur38 min
Jul 18, 3:35 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXWebster40 min
Jul 18, 3:50 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXDoddridge, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wood40 min
Jul 18, 4:04 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Harrison, Taylor4 hr
Jul 18, 4:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXJackson, Mason45 min
Jul 18, 4:18 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXDoddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie4 hr
Jul 18, 4:19 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXPleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Wood4 hr
Jul 18, 4:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXDoddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Pleasants, Ritchie and 3 more40 min
Jul 18, 4:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXWirt30 min
Jul 18, 4:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXCalhoun, Jackson, Mason, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and 1 more49 min
Jul 18, 4:58 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXDoddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie, Wirt47 min
Jul 18, 5:02 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXMason28 min
Jul 18, 5:37 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLewis, Upshur38 min
Jul 18, 5:45 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLewis30 min
Jul 18, 5:54 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPutnam36 min
Jul 18, 6:00 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXBraxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Roane30 min
Jul 18, 6:13 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXCabell32 min
Jul 18, 6:21 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXClay, Kanawha24 min
Jul 18, 6:45 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXClay, Kanawha, Nicholas30 min
Jul 18, 7:15 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXKanawha, Putnam71 min
Jul 18, 7:19 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXKanawha, Putnam, Roane67 min
Jul 18, 7:46 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningRLXBarbour, Taylor99 min
Jul 17, 8:24 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXAthens36 min
Jul 17, 8:51 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXAthens24 min
Jul 18, 2:02 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXAthens28 min
Jul 18, 2:21 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPerry24 min
Jul 18, 2:42 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPerry33 min
Jul 18, 3:01 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXAthens, Vinton29 min
Jul 18, 3:10 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXMorgan35 min
Jul 18, 3:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXAthens, Gallia, Jackson, Meigs, Vinton45 min
Jul 18, 3:43 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXMorgan, Washington47 min
Jul 18, 3:45 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXAthens, Vinton2 hr
Jul 18, 3:45 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXJackson30 min
Jul 18, 4:03 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXGallia27 min
Jul 18, 5:31 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXLawrence44 min
Jul 18, 7:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementRLXPerry45 min
Jul 18, 6:24 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningRLXGreenup2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in West Virginia, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.