West Virginia, 1996

Damaging Wind in West Virginia, July 30, 1996

July 30, 1996 · NWS RLX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Large tree limbs were blown down in numerous locationsthroughout the city. One 15 year old boy was hospitalizedin critical condition after being burned by a downedpower line.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$400,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS RLX wrote it up.

Large tree limbs were blown down in numerous locationsthroughout the city. One 15 year old boy was hospitalizedin critical condition after being burned by a downedpower line. One utility pole and transformer crashed downon a resident's porch. Several cars were damaged by fallenbranches. The city police chief summarized the scene bysaying, "we've been hit extremely hard by this storm".

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:07 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wood

When
July 30, 3:05 PM EST
Where
Wood County, Parkersburg
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$400,000
Coordinates
39.270, -81.550

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, July 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5565218.