High pressure over the western Atlantic was responsible for a hot and humid air mass in place. An upper-level disturbance in the zonal flow triggered showers and thunderstorms across portions of West Virginia.
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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.
High pressure over the western Atlantic was responsible for a hot and humid air mass in place. An upper-level disturbance in the zonal flow triggered showers and thunderstorms across portions of West Virginia. Moderate amounts of instability due to the hot and humid air mass caused an isolated thunderstorm to produce damaging winds.
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 Jul 17, 9:51 AM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1051 AM EDT SAT JUL 17 2010 .SYNOPSIS... BERMUDA HIGH OVER THE ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE TO BRING WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A SERIES OF UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION DURING THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD OVERHEAD LATE NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... UPDATE... A CLUSTER OF STORMS ON THE WRN DOORSTEP OF THE CWA OUT AHEAD OF AN MCS THAT HAS MADE A PRETTY GOOD TREK ACROSS WRN KY AND THE LENGTH OF SRN WV. NOW MOVING INTO W CNTRL VA...THE MCS IS SHOWING SIGNS OF BEING MODIFIED BY THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND WILL LIKELY BREAK UP INTO SMALLER ELEMENTS. FOR THE REST OF THE MORNING...MAINLY THE OVERHANG FROM THE WV STORMS WILL AFFECT HIGHLAND/PENDLETON. ALTHOUGH...SOME OF THE OUTFLOW MAY AIDE IN SOME TSTMS OF THEIR OWN ON THE RIDGETOPS WHICH WOULD THEN CONTINUE INTO EARLY AFTN. CURRENT MESOANALYSIS PAINTS A BULLSEYE OF CAPE IN THE LEE OF THE APLCNS OVER THE I-81 CORRIDOR OF WRN VA...TAPERING OFF NORTH OF HARRISONBURG. POINTS NORTH AND EAST OF THERE ARE MORE STABLE...THO THIS SHOULD CHANGE AS DAYTIME HEATING BRINGS SFC TEMPS UP INTO THE M90S. ONE ELEMENT THAT MAY CUT-DOWN ON THIS WOULD BE THE INCREASING HIGH CLOUD DECKS...NOT ONLY FROM THE CURRENT STORMS OVER WV BUT CLUSTERS OF HIGH CIRRUS OUT AHEAD OF THIS ACTIVITY. DESPITE THE FAVORABLE CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS BUILDING ACROSS THE REGION TODAY...A SOME DECENT-LOOKING LAPSE RATES ON THE 12Z KIAD SOUNDING - MODELS CONTINUE TO TREND TOWARD DRY FOR MUCH OF THE CWA TODAY/TONIGHT. THE MOST FAVORABLE AREAS LIE ACROSS THE SRN-MOST COUNTIES...FROM PENDLETON TO SRN MD. TERRAIN CERTAINLY MAY PLAY A ROLE IN INITIATION AND THEN STORMS WILL HAVE AN UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT TO MOVE INTO AS THEY HEAD EWD. TRENDS HAVE ALSO POINTED TOWARD LATE EVE/EARLY MORNING AS A KEY TIME FOR SOME OF THE CONVECTION TO AFFECT AREAS E OF THE BLUE RIDGE/ESPECIALLY THE I-95 AND SRN MD REGIONS. THE COLD FRONT THAT GRADUALLY WORKED ITS WAY DOWN ACROSS THE OHIO VLY IS NOW PSEUDO-STATIONARY AND SLINKING SWD INTO NRN/CNTRL VA. THIS MAY ALSO BE A TRIGGER FOR STORMS TO ITS SOUTH AND AN INHIBITOR FOR STORMS TO ITS NORTH. DEWPOINTS NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY ARE EXPECTED TO DROP AROUND 5 DEG LOWER THAN AROUND SUNRISE THIS MORNING...WHILE DEWPOINTS SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY STAY AROUND 70 THRU THE DAY. HIGHS WILL AGAIN CREEP INTO THE M90S /A FEW LOCALES IN THE U90S/...THOUGH IT WILL BE A BIT LESS MUGGY THAN YESTERDAY /THOUGH WITH ONLY A COUPLE OF DEGREES DIFFERENCE - IT MAY NOT FEEL LIKE IT/. HOWEVER...HEAT INDICES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO CLIMB INTO THE L100S - OUTSIDE OF A FEW BRIEF OBS LATER THIS AFTN. AND AS MENTIONED...CLOUDS WILL ALSO BE ON THE INCREASE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES - SO THAT MAY ALSO CUT-DOWN ON THE APPARENT TEMPS AS WELL. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/... BERMUDA HIGH OVER THE ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE TO BRING WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. MAX TEMPS SUNDAY WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 90S ACROSS MOST LOCATIONS...BUT COOLER IN THE MOUNTAINS. A WESTERLY DOWNSLOPING FLOW WILL KEEP INSTABILITY LIMITED...BUT AN ISOLATED SHOWER/T-STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN THE AFTERNOON/EVENING DUE TO THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY. HOWEVER...MUCH OF THE TIME WILL TURN OUT DRY. WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST SUNDAY NIGHT WITH MIN TEMPS RANGING FROM THE 60S IN THE POTOMAC HIGHLANDS TO THE 70S AROUND WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... SUBTROPICAL RIDGE WILL REMAIN TO OUR SOUTH FOR THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK WHILE A SERIES OF UPPER-LEVEL PASS THROUGH IN A WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. BERMUDA HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO BRING WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS TO THE MID-ATLANTIC. THE DISTURBANCES WILL COMBINE WITH THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY TO BRING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING NEAR PEAK HEATING. UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD TOWARD THE REGION LATE IN THE WEEK. ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE ISOLATED AND CONFINED TO THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. MORE HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH MAX TEMPS IN THE 90S FOR MOST LOCATIONS. && .AVIATION /14Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... MOST OF THE DAYTIME WL HV NSW...JUST DVLPG TCU W/ BASES ARND 5000 FT. CHO MAY HV A LT DAY TSRA IN VCNTY...BUT CONFIDENCE/AREAL CVRG LOW...AND ITS ADDRESSED BY A CB RMK. THAT THREAT SPREAD ACRS OTR TERMINALS TWD ELY EVNG...BUT THE SAME CONFIDENCE/AREAL CVRG FACTORS PRECLUDE A MNTN ATTM. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR MOST OF THE TIME SUNDAY. A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR VSBYS ARE POSSIBLE DUE TO PATCHY BR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. AN ISOLATED T-STORM MAY IMPACT THE TERMINALS SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING...BUT MOST OF THE TIME WILL BE DRY. A SERIES OF UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PASS THROUGH DURING THE THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. && .MARINE... WL HV A QUIET DAY ON THE WATERS. LCL WND REGIMES LKLY. BUT BLDG HEAT/ INSTBY MAY LEAD TO AN EVNG TSRA. MOST WNDS SHUD BE UNDER 10 KT OUTSIDE OF TSRA. BERMUDA HIGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE ATLANTIC FOR SUNDAY THROUGH THE MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK. A SERIES OF UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL PASS THROUGH DURING THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PORTION OF THE WEEK...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. THE BEST CHANCE FOR CONVECTION WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SOUTHERLY WINDS MAY CHANNEL UP THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND LOWER TIDAL POTOMAC SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE WARRANTED. && .EQUIPMENT... PIKESVILLE NWR TRANSMITTER STILL REMAINS DOWN. LATEST FROM OUR TECHNICIANS IS THAT THE ANTENNA IS SHORTED OUT...MOST LKLY DUE TO LTNG STRIKE EARLIER IN THE WK. LATE SUNDAY NGT PART OF THE ANTENNA WL BE REPLACED. TECHNICIANS EXPECT TO HV THE PIKESVILLE NWR BACK IN SVC THIS COMING MON MRNG. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && UPDATE...GMS PREV DISCUSSION...BJL/HTS
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</html>SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1048 AM EDT SAT JUL 17 2010
VAZ021-WVZ054-501-502-171515-
HIGHLAND VA-PENDLETON WV-WESTERN GRANT WV-EASTERN GRANT WV-
1048 AM EDT SAT JUL 17 2010
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT HIGHLAND...PENDLETON...WESTERN
GRANT AND EASTERN GRANT COUNTIES...
AT 1046 AM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF
WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 26 MILES WEST OF
BEECHWOOD TO 17 MILES WEST OF CHERRY GROVE TO 6 MILES WEST OF
BOLAR...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.
SMALL LIMBS COULD BE BLOWN DOWN WITH WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE.
&&
LAT...LON 3836 7974 3844 7969 3851 7970 3867 7963
3879 7952 3888 7953 3889 7947 3893 7946
3892 7938 3898 7934 3907 7930 3911 7936
3921 7931 3920 7949 3931 7929 3900 7925
3819 7960 3823 7974 3832 7981
TIME...MOT...LOC 1446Z 269DEG 21KT 3916 7994 3873 7981
3820 7976
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</html>SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1125 AM EDT SAT JUL 17 2010
VAZ021-025-036-171600-
NELSON VA-HIGHLAND VA-AUGUSTA VA-
1125 AM EDT SAT JUL 17 2010
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT NELSON...HIGHLAND AND AUGUSTA
COUNTIES...
AT 1124 AM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM DEERFIELD TO 10 MILES WEST OF SPOTTSWOOD TO 22 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF MONTEBELLO...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
OCCASIONAL WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN BRING DOWN LARGE TREE BRANCHES. TAKE
SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
&&
LAT...LON 3779 7909 3779 7917 3789 7915 3809 7950
3811 7950 3813 7946 3816 7945 3818 7950
3821 7951 3822 7901 3787 7897 3771 7904
3771 7906
TIME...MOT...LOC 1524Z 280DEG 26KT 3819 7941 3792 7937
3771 7947
KRAMARThe Sterling radar (KLWX), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:54 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph in a thunderstorm near Oak Flat.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, July 2010
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: 248256.