Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 9, 2001

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 9, 2001
Start: 2001-04-09T18:25
End: 2001-04-09T19:15
Location: West Virginia

April 9, 2001 · NWS LWX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

A cold front across the region on the 9th became the focus for evening thunderstorms. Some storms produced winds in excess of 58 MPH and hail.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $12,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 LWX wrote it up.

A cold front across the region on the 9th became the focus for evening thunderstorms. Some storms produced winds in excess of 58 MPH and hail. In Mineral County, quarter sized hail fell southeast of Keyser. High winds caused numerous power outages across the county. In Hampshire County, pea sized hail and gusty winds were reported. In Morgan County, a few trees were downed in Berkeley Springs. In Berkeley County, two trees were downed in Martinsburg. A wind gust of 47 MPH was recorded at the airport.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Baltimore/Washington wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 9, 2:15 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 9, 2:15 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
315 PM EDT MON APR 9 2001

AT 19Z...TSTMS COVER N 1/2 OF PA ASSOC WITH SFC BDRY...AND A FEW
TSRA IN NW WV ASSOC WITH HI INSTABILITY. TEMPS SOARING INTO 80S TO
LOWER 90S DUE TO DOWNSLOPE WINDS 10-20 MPH. CWA STILL IN UNSTABLE
AIR WITH LI'S -3 TO -6C AND CAPE 2000 J/KG. STILL EXPECTING SCT
TSTMS TO DEVELOP OVER CWA THIS AFT AND SOME ACTIVITY N AND W
OF CWA TO MOVE INTO NW CWA BEFORE SUNSET AND ACROSS N CWA TONIGHT.
WILL HAVE LIKELY POPS AND MENTION GUSTY WINDS/HAIL IN NW CWA AND
KEEP CHANCE POPS FOR SHRA/TSRA ELSEWHERE TONIGHT. MCS TYPE COMPLEX
FCST TO DEVELOP TO OUR NW OVERNIGHT WHICH COULD ALSO SEND SOME
DEBRIS CONVECTION OUR WAY AFTER 06Z.

BDRY TO OUR N ACTS AS A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT OVERNIGHT PUSHING SWARD
AND PUTS E 1/3 OF CWA INTO STABLE MARINE AIR TUE THRU WED NIGHT.
HAVE DROPPED MENTION OF TSRA AND KEPT SHRA IN THIS AREA THRU PERIOD.
HAVE ALSO DROPPED HI TEMPS THERE TO ACCOUNT FOR CLDY CONDITIONS.
LEFT SHRA/TSRA ELSEWHERE TUE THRU WED NIGHT. ACROSS ENTIRE CWA WILL
HAVE CHANCE POPS EXCEPT FOR TUE EVE/NIGHT LIKELY POPS WHEN STRONGEST
FORCING /STRONG VVEL 500-700MB...STRONG WAA AND WEAK VORT MAX/ PASS
THRU. W CWA SEES STRONG FORCING TUE AFT SO THEY COULD SEE ANOTHER
ROUND OF STRONG WX THEN.

ON THU...FRONT PUSHES NE AND ENTIRE CWA WILL BE IN JUICY AIR AGAIN.
A RAPIDLY WEAKENING FRONT WILL PUSH THRU CWA THU AFT. ANOTHER FRONT
ASSOC WITH STRONG LOW OVER GREAT LAKES PUSHES THRU FRI NIGHT.  LOW
PRES DEVELOPS OVER OH VALLEY SATURDAY AND SENDS ANOTHER COLD FRONT
THRU AREA SAT. THIS ACTIVITY WARRENTS CHANCE SHRA/TSRA CWA WIDE THU
THRU SAT.  HI PRES SUN AND MON SO FINALLY NO MENTION OF PRECIP IN
FCST.

FCSTID = 36
DCA   59  69  51  62 /  50  40  60  30
BWI   57  68  50  60 /  50  40  60  30
MRB   58  71  50  64 /  60  50  60  30
IAD   58  70  51  63 /  50  40  60  30
CHO   c59  75  53  67 /  40  40  60  30
HGR   55  69  49  63 /  60  50  60  30
NHK   60  67  52  60 /  50  40  60  30

.LWX...
DC...NONE.
MD...NONE.
VA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

MMARGRAF

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 9, 6:00 PM EST, 25 minutes before

MDZ002>004-WVZ048>052-092300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON
700 PM EDT MON APR 9 2001

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 12 AM...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN MARYLAND AND THE
EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA BETWEEN 7 AND 9:30 THIS EVENING.
SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. STAY
TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.f

STRONG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: April 9, 6:25 PM EST
Where: Morgan County, Berkeley Spgs
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.633, -78.233

A few trees were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Berkeley

When: April 9, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Berkeley County, Martinsburg
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.450, -77.967

Two trees were downed.

Hail, Mineral

When: April 9, 6:55 PM EST to 6:59 PM EST
Where: Mineral County, 7 mi SE of Keyser
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.367, -78.883

Quarter sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mineral

When: April 9, 7:15 PM EST
Where: Mineral County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.417, -78.917

High winds caused numerous power outages.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in West Virginia in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, April 2001

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: 5240173, 5240174, 5240175, 5240176.