Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, July 9, 1997

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, July 9, 1997
Start: 1997-07-09T11:05
End: 1997-07-09T16:50
Location: West Virginia

July 9, 1997 · NWS RLX · 10 events in 7 counties and zones

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $136,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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.

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ritchie

When: July 9, 11:05 AM EST
Where: Ritchie County, 6 mi NW of Harrisville
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 39.270, -81.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Ritchie

When: July 9, 11:20 AM EST
Where: Ritchie County, Pennsboro
Property damage: $85,000
Coordinates: 39.280, -80.970

Trees were either snapped off or uprooted. A couple of tin roofs were damaged, including the skating rink. A porch roof was blown off. The wind was channelled from the northwest. Estimated gust from a follow-up National Weather Service survey was 70 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Doddridge

When: July 9, 11:30 AM EST to 11:35 AM EST
Where: Doddridge County, West Union to Blandville
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 39.300, -80.780

Trees were blown down. A church in Blandville sustained roof damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: July 9, 12:10 PM EST
Where: Jackson County, 8 mi NW of Kenna
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 38.770, -81.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Harrison

When: July 9, 12:10 PM EST to 12:15 PM EST
Where: Harrison County, Clarksburg to Stonewood
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 39.280, -80.350

Several large trees were fallen in the Clarksburg, Nutter Fork, and Stonewood vicinity. Some backyard sheds were picked up by the wind and destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When: July 9, 12:40 PM EST
Where: Taylor County, 3 mi S of Grafton
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 39.300, -80.030

Trees and power lines were blown down around Tygart Lake.

Hail, Taylor

When: July 9, 12:40 PM EST
Where: Taylor County, 3 mi S of Grafton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.300, -80.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Cabell

When: July 9, 4:30 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, 3 mi S of Huntington
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 38.370, -82.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When: July 9, 4:35 PM EST
Where: Wayne County, Lavalette
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 38.320, -82.450

Heavy Rain, Cabell

When: July 9, 4:50 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, Barboursville
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 38.420, -82.242 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 12 year old boy was sucked into a 14 inch diameter drain pipe and drowned. He was playing in a neighbor's yard with 2 other boys, after a heavy downpour. The pipe was normally covered, but had been left opened during the construction of a nearby home. Apparently. the 5 foot 4 inch, 110 pound boy slipped and fell into the ditch. Firefighters recovered the boy's body about 2 hours later, some 60 feet into the pipe. The Cabell County Sheriff said, " I've seen a lot of things, but this was the toughest".

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Heavy Rain, Cabell	1997-07-09	12	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in West Virginia in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, July 1997

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: 5606566, 5606567, 5606568, 5606569, 5606570, 5606571, 5606572, 5606573, 5606574, 5606575.