West Virginia, 2010

Hail in West Virginia, April 16, 2010

April 16, 2010 · NWS RLX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Northern West Virginnia was in the warm sector of a low pressure system centered in Canada. Ahead of the associated cold front, scattered thunderstorms formed during the early afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 RLX wrote it up.

Northern West Virginnia was in the warm sector of a low pressure system centered in Canada. Ahead of the associated cold front, scattered thunderstorms formed during the early afternoon.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 16, 2:14 PM EST, 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 2:14 PM EST, 26 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 16, 12:12 PM EST, 2 hours 28 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 16, 9:04 AM EST, 5 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1004 AM EDT FRI APR 16 2010

VAZ003-004-162200-
DICKENSON-BUCHANAN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLINTWOOD...GRUNDY...VANSANT
1004 AM EDT FRI APR 16 2010

HERE IS A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE...

THE COMBINATION OF MUCH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...VERY LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CREATE IDEAL CONDITIONS
FOR THE IGNITION AND SPREAD OF FIRES THIS AFTERNOON. THE MID TO
LATE AFTERNOON HOURS ARE OF THE MOST CONCERN...AS WINDS INCREASE
TO 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF UP TO 25 MPH.

OPEN BURNING OF ANY TYPE IS CONSIDERED VERY HAZARDOUS AT THIS
TIME. ACCIDENTAL ESCAPED DEBRIS BURNS ARE THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF
WILDFIRES. ALSO...BE CAREFUL WITH HEAT AND SPARKS WHILE OPERATING
ANY EQUIPMENT...OR SMOKING IN WILDLAND AREAS.

FROM FEBRUARY 15 THROUGH APRIL 30...VIRGINIA STATE LAW PROHIBITS
OPEN AIR BURNING BEFORE 4 PM WITHIN 300 FEET OF WOODS...OR DRY GRASS
WHICH CAN CARRY THE FIRE INTO THE WOODS.

The radar

The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Harrison

When
April 16, 2:40 PM EST
Where
Harrison County, Hepzibah
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
39.330, -80.350

Hail, Harrison

When
April 16, 2:45 PM EST
Where
Harrison County, 5 mi SE of Shinnston
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
39.349, -80.234

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, April 2010

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 220695, 220694.