Damaging Winds in West Virginia, June 6, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in West Virginia, June 6, 2002
Start: 2002-06-06T15:40
End: 2002-06-06T16:00
Location: West Virginia

June 6, 2002 · NWS LWX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A thunderstorm with high winds moved through the far Eastern Panhandle between 4 and 6 PM EDT on the 6th. In Berkeley County, extensive tree damage was reported along Sulphur Spring Drive in Inwood.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $14,000
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 happened

The episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.

A thunderstorm with high winds moved through the far Eastern Panhandle between 4 and 6 PM EDT on the 6th. In Berkeley County, extensive tree damage was reported along Sulphur Spring Drive in Inwood. A construction trailer nearby was overturned and a building under construction suffered damaged scaffolding and siding. Trees were also downed in the community of Berkeley. Power outages occurred in Martinsburg. In Jefferson County, trees were downed in and around Charles Town. Power lines were downed countywide.

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 Jun 6, 3:25 PM EST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 6, 3:25 PM EST, 15 minutes before

IN SHORT TERM MUCH WX GOING ON...FLD WTCH TIL MIDNIGHT...SVR TSTM
WTCH TIL 8 PM. AFTR FNT MOVES SWD XPCT TRW TO DIMINISH TO
RW...TAPERING OFF FRI MRNG AS CD FNT FINALLY SLIDES S/HI PRES BLDS
INTO THE AREA.

WOODY

LONG TERM...
PLENTY OF SUN...COOL NGTS...AND NR OR SLIGHTLY BLO NORMAL TEMPS THIS
WEEKEND...AS SFC RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC.

MED RANGE MDLS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH MUCH OF THE XTND. MUCH
QUIETER WX TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE ERLY PART OF
THE WORK WEEK...WITH HIGH PRES ANCHORED OVER VA.

ECMWF AND MRF BOTH MOVE THE NEXT SHORTWAVE TROF INTO NRN PLAINS BY
MID WEEK AND EVENTUALLY TOWARD THE HUDSON BAY BY THE END OF THE
WEEK. A WEAK CDFNT TRAILS DOWN FROM THE UPR LOW INTO THE OH VLY BY
WED NGT.

ECMWF AND MRF DO SHOW SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES WITH THE CDFNT. PLAN
ON LEANING TOWARD A SLOWER SOLN...AS RIDGING OVER THE ERN US WL BE
SLOW TO GIVE WAY. ONLY CHGS TO XTND ATTM WL BE SOME SLGT TEMP
ADJUSTMENTS WED TO ACCOUNT FOR A SLOWER CDFNT PASSAGE. HV ALSO
INCLUDED POPS FOR THU/THU NGT WITH THE CDFNT PASSAGE. OTRW...NO
OTHER CHGS TO XTND.

MANNING

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 6, 10:30 AM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes before

DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042-
050>057-WVZ048>055-070330-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
1130 AM EDT THU JUN 6 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY FOR THE MID
ATLANTIC REGION. THIS INCLUDES MARYLAND...EASTERN WEST
VIRGINIA...THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...AND NORTHERN...CENTRAL...AND
NORTHWEST VIRGINIA.

SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...
HAIL...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE MOST LIKELY
TIME FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE BETWEEN 3 AND 10 PM.

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WATCHES
AND WARNINGS.

MANNING

Special weather statement, Jun 6, 2:54 PM EST, 46 minutes before

DCZ001-VAZ054-062015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
354 PM EDT THU JUN 6 2002

...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF
THE WASHINGTON D.C. METRO AREA...

AT 349 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH THROUGH SOUTHERN
FAIRFAX...NORTHERN CHARLES AND SOUTHERN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTIES.
THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA AND PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING THROUGH 415 PM.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT
THIS EVENING FOR THE ENTIRE AREA.

JA/DM

Local storm report, Jun 6, 3:07 PM EST, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
407 PM EDT THU JUN 6 2002

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

0245 PM    RICHARDSVILLE             VA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/06/02   CULPEPER                       REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0330 PM    POHICK BAY                VA   1.00 INCH HAIL
06/06/02   FAIRFAX                        BY SPOTTERS

0315 PM    NORTH STAFFORD COUNTY     VA   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/06/02   STAFFORD                       BY SPOTTERS

0315 PM    SOUTHERN PRINCE WILLIAM   VA   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/06/02   PRINCE WILLIAM                 BY SPOTTERS

0325 PM    COUNTYWIDE (NORTH & SOUTH)VA   WIND DAMAGE
06/06/02   FAUQUIER                       DOWN TREESREPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

MHP

Local storm report, Jun 6, 3:24 PM EST, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON
424 PM EDT THU JUN 6 2002

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

0410 PM    BRANDYWINE                MD   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/06/02   PRINCE GEORGES                 BY SPOTTERS

MHP

The radar

The Sterling radar (KLWX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Berkeley

When: June 6, 3:40 PM EST to 4:00 PM EST
Where: Berkeley County, Countywide
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.467, -78.017

Extensive tree damage and minor structural damage was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: June 6, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.300, -77.867

Power lines were downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: June 6, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Jefferson County, Charles Town
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.300, -77.850

Trees were downed.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in West Virginia in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in West Virginia, June 2002

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: 5302423, 5302421, 5302422.