West Virginia, 2000

Tornado and Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 23, 2000

May 23, 2000 · NWS RLX · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

2 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$93,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Webster

When
May 23, 6:00 PM EST
Where
Webster County, Cowen
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.417, -80.550

Hail, Webster

When
May 23, 6:10 PM EST
Where
Webster County, 5 mi SE of Cowen
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
38.370, -80.483

Thunderstorm Wind, Webster

When
May 23, 6:15 PM EST
Where
Webster County, 7 mi SE of Cowen
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
38.350, -80.467

Trees were blown down in the Monongahela National Forest around the Three Forks of the Williams River, including the White Oak Fork region. In one location, about 40 trees were blown down in a swath about 150 yards long and 50 yards wide.

Tornado, Tyler

When
May 23, 6:43 PM EST to 6:45 PM EST
Where
Tyler County, Kidwell
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
75 yd
Property damage
$85,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.533, -80.883

Several trees and an outbuilding were knocked over. The storm moved toward the Elk Fork stream basin and ripped a roof off a house and destroyed a barn.

Flash Flood, Tyler

When
May 23, 7:30 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
Where
Tyler County, Pursley
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.465, -80.885 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several creeks, including the Elk Fork, Pursley Creek, and Pleasant Creek, flooded fields and secondary roads. No dwellings were affected.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pleasants

When
May 23, 8:20 PM EST
Where
Pleasants County, Bellmont
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.383, -81.267

Large tree branches were knocked down.

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

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for West Virginia, 2000Warnings in West Virginia, May 2000

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: 5143533, 5143534, 5143535, 5143618, 5143619, 5143620.