Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, August 28, 2001

Name: Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, August 28, 2001
Start: 2001-08-28T16:35
End: 2001-08-28T19:30
Location: West Virginia

August 28, 2001 · NWS PBZ · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

2 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: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 28, 2:22 PM EST, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 28, 2:22 PM EST, 2 hours 13 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
322 PM EDT TUE AUG 28 2001

COLD FRONT BISECTS CWA FROM NE TO SW. WE HAVE SEVERAL WARNINGS OUT
FOR COUNTIES JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. FRONT IS SLOWING SINKING
SOUTHWARD AND WILL RANGE POPS FROM CATEGORICAL OVER THE SOUTHERN
HALF OF CWA AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH CHC POPS EARLY NORTH OF FRONT.
ALL AREAS CLEAR OF PCPN BY MID TO LATE EVENING. CLEARING SKIES AND
FOG DEVELOPING LATE. HIGH BUILDS IN FOR WED AND THU. NEXT CHC PCPN
IS ON FRI AHEAD OF NEXT FRONT. MESOETA INDICATES THAT THIS NEXT
SYSTEM TAPS GULF MOISTURE AND TRACKS IT INTO THE SOUTHERN SECTION OF
OUR CWA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT.

PIT   57  78  56  83 /  30  10  10  10
HLG   57  78  56  81 / 100  10  10  10
MGW   59  78  57  81 / 100  10  10  10
ZZV   57  78  56  81 / 100  10  10  10
PHD   55  77  55  80 /  30  10  10  10
FKL   53  75  52  78 /  30  10  10  10
DUJ   55  74  53  78 /  40  10  10  10
LBE   57  78  56  81 / 100  10  10  10
BTP   53  75  52  78 /  30  10  10  10
IDI   55  74  53  78 / 100  10  10  10
ODM   54  75  54  80 / 100  10  10  10

.PBZ...
MD...NONE.
OH...NONE.
PA...NONE.
WV...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 28, 1:24 PM EST, 3 hours 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
224 PM EDT TUE AUG 28 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0200 PM    MIDLAND                   PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   BEAVER                         TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          DOWNREPORTED BY SKYWARN
                                          SPOTTERS

0200 PM    OHIOVILLE                 PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   BEAVER                         TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          DOWNREPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0200 PM    INDUSTRY                  PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   BEAVER                         TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          DOWNREPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0208 PM    PITTSBURGH                PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   ALLEGHENY                      REPORTED BY OBSERVER AT
                                          PITTSBURGH AIRPORT

0210 PM    WEXFORD                   PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   ALLEGHENY

Local storm report, Aug 28, 1:58 PM EST, 2 hours 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
258 PM EDT TUE AUG 28 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0242 PM    PLUMVILLE                 PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   INDIANA                        TREE DOWN REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

Local storm report, Aug 28, 2:34 PM EST, 2 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
334 PM EDT TUE AUG 28 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0220 PM    MCCANDLESS                PA   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   ALLEGHENY                      TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN SPOTTERS

Local storm report, Aug 28, 4:34 PM EST, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH, PA
534 PM EDT TUE AUG 28 2001

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0300 PM    PLEASANT UNITY            PA   TSTM WIND GUST
08/28/01   WESTMORELAND                   TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

0400 PM    CLAIRTON                  PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/28/01   ALLEGHENY                      TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

0410 PM    CHARLEROI                 PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/28/01   WASHINGTON                     TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

0505 PM    SMITHFIELD                PA   WIND DAMAGE
08/28/01   FAYETTE                        TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Monongalia

When: August 28, 4:35 PM EST
Where: Monongalia County, Morgantown
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.617, -79.950

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power lines.

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: August 28, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Marion County, Fairmont
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.483, -80.133

Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and power lines across the Fairmont area. Five homes reported damage from the fallen trees.

Flash Flood, Marion

When: August 28, 5:55 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
Where: Marion County, Fairmont
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.510, -80.243 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Torrential thunderstorm rains produced minor street and basement flooding in the Fairmont area.

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.
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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5265633, 5265635, 5265634.