Tornado in West Virginia, January 9, 1998

A weak tornado tracked from south of Moundsville to just east of Moundsville in the early morning hours of January 9. The tornado began approximately at 120 am and travelled northeast at 30 to 40 mph. The tornado started around Fish Creek near Route 74. It moved between Route 44 and continued northeast crossing Route 17, Route 34 and ending just south of Limestone. The first 8-9 miles of the path had continuous light to occasionally moderate damage. The last few miles appeared to have fragmented damage. The width of the tornado path was approximately 250 yards. About 17 homes were affected (mainly roof, chimney and siding damage). Most of the homes were single family wood frame homes with about 5 mobile homes damaged. There were at least 3 garages heavily damaged, 2 destroyed. These garages were mostly cinder block and wood construction. There was widespread tree damage along the path. Most trees were snapped with a few uprooted. Near Grave Creek, there were several acres on the side of a ridge that sustained major tree damage. Winds with this tornado were estimated to generally range from 55 to 75 mph. However, in the Grave Creek area along Route 54, winds were estimated between 75 and 85 mph. Golfball hail that covered the ground was also reported with this storm. One witness mentioned looking outside, only to see everything swirling about. Another witness heard the loud roar and immediately ran to the kitchen window. In a matter of seconds, his garage disappeared. Tornadoes are rare, especially in the early morning hours of January.