Tornado and Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 24, 1998

Name: Tornado and Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 24, 1998
Start: 1998-05-24T15:49
End: 1998-05-24T23:35
Location: West Virginia

May 24, 1998 · NWS RLX · 19 events in 10 counties and zones

Widespread thunderstorms contained hail and some strong wind gusts. Cabell County residents were hit by 2 or 3 separate thunderstorms.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $1.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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.

Widespread thunderstorms contained hail and some strong wind gusts. Cabell County residents were hit by 2 or 3 separate thunderstorms. An estimated 400 insurance claims were filed from the Huntington vicinity from these storms. The damage was mostly dented vehicles from the large hail. A few homes had minor damage.

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:51 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 hail, 3 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cabell

When: May 24, 3:49 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, Barboursville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.420, -82.280

Hail, Putnam

When: May 24, 4:20 PM EST
Where: Putnam County, Hurricane
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.430, -82.030

Hail, Cabell

When: May 24, 5:20 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, Huntington
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -82.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Cabell

When: May 24, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, Huntington
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -82.470

Several trees fell down within the city. One large tree crushed a small unoccupied car.

Hail, Cabell

When: May 24, 6:06 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, Huntington
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -82.470

Hail, Wayne

When: May 24, 6:25 PM EST
Where: Wayne County, 2 mi E of Winslow
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 38.300, -82.270

Nickel size hail fell around the Beech Fork Lake region.

Hail, Lincoln

When: May 24, 6:25 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 2 mi W of Hamlin
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.280, -82.130

Tornado, Harrison

When: May 24, 6:30 PM EST to 6:35 PM EST
Where: Harrison County, Sardis to Hepzibah
Rating: F1
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $600,000
Coordinates: 39.330, -80.420

The path was through rural countryside, including Lamberts Run. The path missed Clarksburg by just 2 miles. One house was destroyed, 2 homes and 1 mobile home had major damage. Two garages were destroyed. Other damage was to vehicles and campers. Numerous trees were blown over or snapped. Peak wind gusts were estimated at 100 to 110 mph by a National Weather Service survey team. One person was injured by flying glass.

Flash Flood, Cabell

When: May 24, 7:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Cabell County, Blue Sulphur
Property damage: $275,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -82.242 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cyrus and Fudges Creeks flooded roads and caused a few residents to evacuate. The American Red Cross reported major damage to 2 homes and 2 mobile homes.

Flash Flood, Lincoln

When: May 24, 7:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, Portersville
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 38.175, -82.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Boone

When: May 24, 7:00 PM EST
Where: Boone County, Madison
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.070, -81.830

Hail, Wood

When: May 24, 7:03 PM EST
Where: Wood County, Williamstown
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.400, -81.450

Hail, Randolph

When: May 24, 7:10 PM EST
Where: Randolph County, Elkins
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.920, -79.850

Hail, Boone

When: May 24, 7:15 PM EST
Where: Boone County, Prenter
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 38.020, -81.630

Hail, Raleigh

When: May 24, 7:30 PM EST
Where: Raleigh County, Grandview
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 37.820, -81.080

Hail, Raleigh

When: May 24, 8:20 PM EST
Where: Raleigh County, Beckley
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 37.780, -81.180

Hail, Raleigh

When: May 24, 8:30 PM EST
Where: Raleigh County, Beckley
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $75,000
Coordinates: 37.780, -81.180

A few vehicles were damaged.

Flash Flood, Boone

When: May 24, 9:15 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Boone County, Countywide
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 38.023, -81.711 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two mobile homes were damaged.

Hail, Mingo

When: May 24, 11:35 PM EST
Where: Mingo County, Williamson Arpt
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.680, -82.270

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in West Virginia in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for West Virginia, 1998 Warnings in West Virginia, May 1998

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: 5640263, 5640260, 5640261, 5640262, 5640264, 5640265, 5640269, 5640266, 5640267, 5640268, 5640270, 5640272, 5640273, 5640271, 5640274, 5640275, 5640276, 5640278, 5640277.