Low pressure moving slowly across West Virginia produced widespread heavy rain and flooding across northern West Virginia, Garrett county Maryland, and western Pennsylvania. Rain amounts over a 24 to 36 hour period were from 2 to 3 inches on top of soils that were already saturated.
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.
Low pressure moving slowly across West Virginia produced widespread heavy rain and flooding across northern West Virginia, Garrett county Maryland, and western Pennsylvania. Rain amounts over a 24 to 36 hour period were from 2 to 3 inches on top of soils that were already saturated.
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 May 4, 10:29 AM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 1129 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS WEST VIRGINIA TODAY. A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL THEN BUILD FOR TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY NIGHT...BEFORE ANOTHER LOW APPROACHES FOR WEDNESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... RAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. VERY SHARP GRADIENT ON RAIN/NO RAIN LINE. NOT MUCH MORE NORTHERN PROGRESS ON THE RAIN. HEAVIEST RAIN AREA FOCUSED ON MARSHALL...WESTZEL AND MONONGALIA COUNTY WV AND GREENE AND FAYETTE COUNTIES IN PA. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... THE LOW PUSHES TO THE EAST TONIGHT...ALLOWING WEAK HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE TO BUILD. WITH THE PROXIMITY OF THE LOW TO THE EAST...AND PASSING SHORT WAVES WILL CONTINUE LOW CHANCE POPS EAST FOR TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. NEXT LOW WILL SPREAD RAIN SHOWERS FROM WEST TO EAST STARTING WEDNESDAY MORNING. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO PROVIDE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY THUNDERSTORMS LATE WEDNESDAY INTO SATURDAY. DUE TO THE EXPECTED CLOUDY AND POTENTIALLY SHOWERY CONDITIONS...FORECASTED TEMPERATURES TO SHOW A SMALLER THAN TYPICAL DIURNAL RANGE WITH DAYTIME HIGHS SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN NORMAL BUT NIGHTTIME LOWS SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN NORMAL AS INDICATED BY RECENT BLEND OF GFS MOS AND HPC GUIDANCE VALUES. && .AVIATION /16Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE APPALACHIANS IS NUDGING NORTHWARD...WITH SOME PRECIP REACHING LBE...AND APPROACHING HLG/PIT/AGC. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE WITH PORTS FROM PIT SOUTH IN THE STEADIER RAIN WITH AREAS OF MVFR RESTRICTIONS IN THE HEAVIER PRECIP THROUGH THIS AFTN. LOCATIONS FURTHER TO THE NORTH...BVI/DUJ WILL SEE SCATTERED SHWRS...WITH FKL SEEING LITTLE CHC AT PRECIP. ZZV COULD HAVE AN ISOLATED SHWR IN THE NEXT 1-3 HOURS BEFORE THE MOISTURE EXITS TO THE EAST. PRECIP WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING FOR ALL LOCATIONS AS THE LOW EJECTS TO THE NE. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS FLAT RIDGING CROSSES THE REGION. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION FROM LATE WEDNESDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND...BRINGING PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND RESTRICTIONS. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR MDZ001. OH...NONE. PA...NONE. WV...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR WVZ023-041. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA 314 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2009 OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023- 029>032-WVZ001>004-012-021-022-050715- TUSCARAWAS-CARROLL-COLUMBIANA-COSHOCTON-HARRISON-JEFFERSON OH- MUSKINGUM-GUERNSEY-BELMONT-NOBLE-MONROE-MERCER-VENANGO-FOREST- LAWRENCE-BUTLER-CLARION-JEFFERSON PA-BEAVER-ALLEGHENY-ARMSTRONG- INDIANA-WASHINGTON-WESTMORELAND-GREENE-FAYETTE-HANCOCK-BROOKE-OHIO- MARSHALL-WETZEL-MARION-MONONGALIA- 314 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL OHIO...NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA...WEST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MDZ001-WVZ023-041-050715- GARRETT-PRESTON-TUCKER- 314 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2009 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MARYLAND AND NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. FLOOD WATCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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
944 AM EDT MON MAY 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0833 AM FLOOD MORGANTOWN 39.64N 79.95W
05/04/2009 MONONGALIA WV EMERGENCY MNGR
EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTED ROADWAY FLOODING THROUGHOUT
MONONGALIA COUNTY. ROADS FLOODED INCLUDE SMITHTOWN RD...
BLOOD RUN RD... ROUTE 7 IN DELLSLOW... GREENBAG RD...
SUMMERS SCHOOL RD... DECKERS CREEK... BEULAH RD
0938 AM FLOOD FAIRMONT 39.48N 80.15W
05/04/2009 MARION WV PUBLIC
STREAM OUT OF ITS BANK OVER ROADS
&&
JPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1141 AM EDT MON MAY 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1005 AM FLOOD 5 SSE FAIRMONT 39.41N 80.11W
05/04/2009 MARION WV TRAINED SPOTTER
CREEK IS OUT OF BANKS AND FLOODING COLFAX ROAD NEAR TOWN
OF COLFAX.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1150 AM EDT MON MAY 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1148 AM HEAVY RAIN FARMINGTON 39.51N 80.25W
05/04/2009 M1.50 INCH MARION WV TRAINED SPOTTER
SINCE 4AM
&&
JPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1153 AM EDT MON MAY 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1148 AM HEAVY RAIN 8 SE UNIONTOWN 39.82N 79.62W
05/04/2009 M1.50 INCH FAYETTE PA TRAINED SPOTTER
SINCE 4AM
&&
JPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
1257 PM EDT MON MAY 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1253 PM FLOOD RIVESVILLE 39.53N 80.12W
05/04/2009 MARION WV PUBLIC
STREAMS OUT OF BANKS FLOODING OVER ROADS
&&
JPThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management reported Tomcat Hollow Rd and Nilan Rd closed at the tunnel due to flooding.
Emergency management reported flooding on SR 481 in Monongahela near the Penos Plaza along Pigeon Creek. This flooding was a combination of back water flooding from the Monongahela River and run off.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, May 2009
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: 163198, 163203.