Scattered thunderstorms with large hail and very heavy downpours moved through the Eastern Panhandle between 3 and 7 PM on the 26th. In Hampshire County, up to 2 inches of golfball sized hail fell just southwest of Capon Bridge on the west side of Schafenaker Mountain (between Cooper and Bear Garden on Route 50).
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS LWX wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms with large hail and very heavy downpours moved through the Eastern Panhandle between 3 and 7 PM on the 26th. In Hampshire County, up to 2 inches of golfball sized hail fell just southwest of Capon Bridge on the west side of Schafenaker Mountain (between Cooper and Bear Garden on Route 50). Hail chunks and shredded leaves accumulated on Route 50 between Cooper Mountain and Capon Bridge. A few minutes after the hail stopped, it began to melt and locally dense fog formed. In Capon Bridge, quarter sized hail was reported. Heavy rains caused creeks to overflow their banks. A driveway along Route 50 in Capon Bridge was washed away by floodwaters. In Hardy County, 2.30 inches of rain fell in Wardensville. In Morgan County, golfball sized hail fell about 7 miles south of Berkeley Springs. In Berkeley Springs, grape sized hail was reported. In Berkeley County, golfball sized hail was reported on Route 9 just east of Martinsburg. Nickel sized hail fell in Bunker Hill. In Jefferson County, golfball sized hail fell in Shepherdstown near Route 480. In Kearneysville, baseball sized hail was reported. Numerous trees were downed in the vicinity. Power was knocked out in Charles Town and Ranson. Heavy downpours flooded basements and yards. High water was also reported on Route 480 near Shepherdstown.
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 May 26, 2:00 PM EST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 300 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2002 STRONG TO SEVERE TSRA CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS WEAK BDRY CURRENTLY ALONG NW CWA BORDER SLOWLY MOVES ESE INTO CWA. SHORT TERM...SHRA/TSTMS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AND WL TAKE OUT TIMING. THE FRONT IS PROGED TO WEAKENING AND STALL OVR FA FOR MEMORIAL DAY. EXPECTING ADDITIONAL TSTMS TO REDEVELOP MON AFTERNOON. AND SHOULD AGAIN PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...AND WINDS. WILL CONT THE CHC SHWRS/TSTMS INTO MON EVE. ND ...LONGER TERM...TUE THRU SUN... LLRH FROM WASHED OUT BDRY LINGERS IN W 1/2 CWA TUE ALONG WITH WEAK 500/700MB VORT AND VVEL. WITH TEMPS NEAR 80 CANNOT RULE OUT AFT TSRA/SHRA TUE SO HAVE ADDED 30 POP BLUE RIDGE W. WILL KEEP DRY E OF BLUE RIDGE FOR NOW BECAUSE ATMOS A BIT DRIER THERE. TUE NIGHT THRU WED NIGHT...HIGH PRES RIDGE AXIS FROM OFFSHORE SYSTEM PUSHES INTO CWA CAUSING WINDS TO TURN SE. THIS WILL KEEP SCT CLDS IN AREA BUT DRY WX EXPECTED. BY THU...MODELS SHOW A WEAK LOW PUSHING NE ALONG NC COAST. WITH ONSHORE FLOW OVER CWA CANNOT RULE OUT RAIN. HOWEVER...FEATURE IS SO WEAK DO NOT THINK CHANCE OF PRECIP THU IS VERY HIGH. BY FRI...COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM NW AND SCT SHRA/TSRA WILL RESULT. FROPA EXPECTED EARLY SAT MORN AND CWA WILL BE IN NW FLOW AS HIGH PRES APPROACHES FROM N PLAINS SAT AND SUN. STAYED CLOSE TO GUIDANCE TEMPS THROUGH FRI. DUE TO STRENGTH OF COLD FRONT BELIEVE MODELS ARE A BIT TOO WARM SAT AND SUN SO UNDERCUT 5 TO 10 DEGREES. MMARGRAF .LWX... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE.
DCZ001-MDZ002>007-009>011-013-014-016>018-VAZ021-025>031-036>042- 050>057-WVZ048>055-262300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 1040 AM EDT SUN MAY 26 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS INDICATED THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER A LARGE PORTION OF MARYLAND...THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA...NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND THE EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS. HAIL AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBILE. THE TIME OF PEAK THREAT IS MID AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. A COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA WILL MOVE SLOWLY SOUTHEAST INTO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE AIR MASS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT IS MOIST AND UNSTABLE. THE APPROACHING FRONT WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG WITH DAYTIME HEATING. RESIDENTS...TOURISTS...BOATERS AND OTHERS ENJOYING HOLIDAY WEEKEND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD STAYED TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER BULLETINS AND STATEMENTS AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. MMARGRAF
MDZ004-VAZ026-027-029>031-038>042-051-WVZ053-261915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 213 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2002 ...THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST VIRGINIA... AT 210 PM DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM JUST NORTH OF JEROME IN SHENANDOAH COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL AFFECT NORTHERN AND WESTERN SHENANDOAH COUNTY BETWEEN 2:15 PM AND 3:00 PM. THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING. IN ADDITION...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LURAY IN PAGE COUNTY. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL AFFECT PAGE COUNTY AND WARREN COUNTY WITH SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING BETWEEN 215 PM AND 300 PM. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER. WALSTON
VAZ028-261915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON 258 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2002 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM EDT SUNDAY FOR THE ENTIRE SHENANDOAH VALLEY... ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRAL FREDERICK COUNTY VIRGINIA... AT 255 PM EDT DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM STRASBURG VIRGINIA NORTHWEST INTO CENTRAL FREDERICK COUNTY VIRGINIA ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF THE CITY OF WINCHESTER. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCT HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF UP TO ONE INCH IN LESS THAN AN HOUR ALONG WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL. BRIEF BUT VERY LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE WINCHESTER AREA BETWEEN 3:00 AND 3:15 PM. SMZ
The Sterling radar (KLWX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:21 UTC.
9 hail, 2 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Basements and yards were flooded. Water collected on Route 480 near Shepherdstown.
Baseball sized hail was reported.
Numerous trees were downed.
Golfball sized hail fell on Route 9.
Nickel sized hail fell.
Golfball sized hail was reported on Route 480.
Up to 2 inches of golfball sized hail accumulated on roads and stripped vegetation.
Quarter sized hail fell.
A driveway along Route 50 was washed away.
Golfball sized hail fell.
Grape sized hail was reported.
Quarter sized hail was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, May 2002
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: 5298290, 5298291, 5298292, 5298293, 5298294, 5298295, 5298296, 5298297, 5298298, 5298299, 5298300, 5298301, 5298302.