West Virginia, 2001

Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, August 23, 2001

August 23, 2001 · NWS RLX · 12 events in 9 counties and zones

7 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$14,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 8:50 AM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 8:50 AM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
950 AM EDT THU AUG 23 2001

PRECIPITATION HAS MOVED INTO NORTHERN SECTIONS ALREADY AND CLOUDS
SHOULD REMAIN IN PLACE THERE THE REST OF THE DAY.  THEREFORE...HAVE
LOWERED HIGH TEMPERATURES THERE.

OTHERWISE...NO SIG CHANGES.

.RLX...
WV...NONE.
VA...NONE.
KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END/AAR

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Boone

When
August 23, 2:00 PM EST
Where
Boone County, Van
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.967, -81.717

Hail, Raleigh

When
August 23, 2:25 PM EST
Where
Raleigh County, Beckley
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.783, -81.183

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
August 23, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Clay County, 2 mi W of Dille
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
38.483, -80.867

A few large trees were knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Nicholas

When
August 23, 2:30 PM EST
Where
Nicholas County, Birch River
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.500, -80.750

Trees and large branches were blown down.

Hail, Raleigh

When
August 23, 2:47 PM EST
Where
Raleigh County, 2 mi SE of Beckley
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.767, -81.150

Hail, Clay

When
August 23, 2:52 PM EST
Where
Clay County, Bickmore
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.383, -81.117

Hail, Mingo

When
August 23, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Mingo County, Breeden
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.933, -82.283

Hail, Wyoming

When
August 23, 3:05 PM EST
Where
Wyoming County, Oceana
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.683, -81.633

Hail, Putnam

When
August 23, 4:20 PM EST
Where
Putnam County, Paradise
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.583, -81.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Wyoming

When
August 23, 6:40 PM EST
Where
Wyoming County, Clear Fork
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
37.633, -81.683

Roads were blocked by fallen trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, McDowell

When
August 23, 6:43 PM EST
Where
McDowell County, Iaeger
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.450, -81.817

Several trees were knocked down by the wind.

Flash Flood, Calhoun

When
August 23, 7:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
Where
Calhoun County, Chloe
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
38.845, -81.118 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Small tributaries of the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River flooded and caused minor damage to roads. Rain estimates were 2.5 to 3.5 inches.

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.
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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, August 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: 5262933, 5262934, 5262935, 5262936, 5262937, 5263042, 5263041, 5263043, 5263044, 5263047, 5263046, 5263045.