A slow moving cold front combined with very unstable air produced scattered severe thunderstorms across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 PBZ wrote it up.
A slow moving cold front combined with very unstable air produced scattered severe thunderstorms across eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and northern West Virginia.
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 Jul 20, 1:01 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 201 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST IS MOVING SO SLOWLY THAT IT MAY NOT CLEAR THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY UNTIL TUESDAY NIGHT. HENCE EXPECT WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE TIL THEN ALONG WITH SCATTERED GUSTY THUNDERSTORMS. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... EXPECT SEVERE THREAT WITH THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE INTO EARLY TONIGHT AS SPC HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AND RECENT RADAR DATA SHOWS SHORT LINES OF THUNDERSTORMS NOW MOVING THROUGH THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY WITH WIND GUSTS CAPABLE OF EXCEEDING 60 MPH. THIS INITIAL LINE OF STORMS MAY DIMINISH INSTABILITY IN THEIR WAKE DECREASING CHANCE OF SUCH THUNDERSTORMS IN THOSE AREAS THIS EVENING. HAVE ADDED PATCHY FOG LATE TONIGHT DUE TO EXPECT SATURATION OF RAIN-MOISTENED SURFACE LAYER. FORECASTED TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO BLEND OF NAM AND GFS MOS VALUES. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... JUDGING FROM RECENT SREF MODEL RUNS...EXPECT SIMILAR EVOLUTION OF CONDITIONS MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE BOTH DAYS DUE TO APPROACHING COLD FRONTS SLOW MOVEMENT. BLEND OF RECENT SREF AND GEFS MODEL RUNS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE COLD FRONT CLEARING THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY TUESDAY NIGHT AND REMOVING THE HUMID AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS. HENCE HAVE FORECASTED DRY CONDITIONS WITH NEAR SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES AS INDICATED BY GFS MOS. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... CONCUR WITH HPC THAT CONDITIONS SHOULD BE DRY ACROSS THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY INTO THE WEEKEND AS SHOWN BY BLEND OF GEFS AND ECMWF MODEL RUNS. THESE MODELS KEEP A LONG-WAVE TROUGH OVER THE ATLANTIC COASTAL AREAS WHICH IS A TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MID SUMMER. SUCH A SCENARIO SHOULD YIELD NEAR SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TOO LOW TO MENTION AS INDICATED BY BLEND OF HPC AND GFS MOS. && .AVIATION /17Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... FORECASTED THUNDERSTORM TIMING BASED ON RECENT RADAR DATA WITH WIND GUSTS OVER 40 KTS FOR KPIT AND VICINITY AND BRIEF IFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO STABILIZE IN WAKE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH MAINLY VFR CUMULUS INTO EVENING. PATCHES OF LATE NIGHT FOG EXPECTED WITH MVFR VISIBILITIES PREVALENT AND IFR POSSIBLE AS RAIN-MOISTENED SURFACE LAYER SATURATES AS INDICATED BY NAM PROFILES. JUDGING FROM RECENT SREF AND GEFS MODEL RUNS...EXPECT A SIMILAR DIURNAL EVOLUTION OF CONDITIONS MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH MVFR VISIBILITIES IN HAZE AND VFR CUMULUS CEILING PUNCTURED BY BRIEF MVFR/IFR IN GUSTY THUNDERSTORMS AND EARLY MORNING FOG. ONCE COLD FRONT CLEARS UPPER OHIO VALLEY TUESDAY NIGHT EXPECT DRY AND PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. OH...NONE. PA...NONE. WV...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1245 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 OHZ040-041-049-050-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023-029-030-WVZ001>003- 211645- CARROLL-COLUMBIANA-HARRISON-JEFFERSON OH-MERCER-VENANGO-FOREST- LAWRENCE-BUTLER-CLARION-JEFFERSON PA-BEAVER-ALLEGHENY-ARMSTRONG- INDIANA-WASHINGTON-WESTMORELAND-HANCOCK-BROOKE-OHIO- 1245 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 708 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING DAMAGING WINDS. LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MDZ001-OHZ039-048-057>059-068-069-PAZ031-032-WVZ004-012-021>023-041- 211645- GARRETT-TUSCARAWAS-COSHOCTON-MUSKINGUM-GUERNSEY-BELMONT-NOBLE-MONROE- GREENE-FAYETTE-MARSHALL-WETZEL-MARION-MONONGALIA-PRESTON-TUCKER- 1245 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MARYLAND...EAST CENTRAL OHIO...SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES EAST TOWARD THE REGION THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
211 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0130 PM TSTM WND DMG CADIZ 40.27N 80.99W
07/20/2008 HARRISON OH EMERGENCY MNGR
LARGE TREE REPORTED DOWN ACROSS US 22.
&&
JDARNLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
219 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0210 PM TSTM WND GST 3 E PITTSBURGH 40.44N 79.92W
07/20/2008 M71 MPH ALLEGHENY PA TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTED A WIND GUST OF 71 MPH AT SCHENLEY
HEIGHTS.
&&
JDARNLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
232 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0210 PM TSTM WND DMG BEAVER 40.69N 80.31W
07/20/2008 BEAVER PA EMERGENCY MNGR
NUMEROUS TREES AND WIRES DOWN ACROSS BEAVER COUNTY.
&&
JDARNLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
244 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0230 PM TSTM WND DMG MORRISTOWN 40.06N 81.07W
07/20/2008 BELMONT OH TRAINED SPOTTER
TREES REPORTED DOWN.
&&
JDARNLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
324 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0240 PM TSTM WND DMG BELMONT 40.03N 81.04W
07/20/2008 BELMONT OH PUBLIC
NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
333 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0225 PM TSTM WND DMG MARS 40.70N 80.01W
07/20/2008 BUTLER PA EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN ALONG SHANON ROAD.
&&
JDARNLEYThe Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:35 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management reported numerous trees down in Moundsville.
Law enforcement reported numerous trees and power lines down in the Pleasant Valley area.
Emergency management reported large trees down on RT 50 in Aurora.
Emergency management reported trees down along RT 19 in Monongah.
Emergency management reported numerous trees down from Mannington to Farmington.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, July 2008
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: 126136, 126137, 126138, 126142, 126144.