After receiving about a half inch of rain on the morning of the 24th, more showers and thunderstorms reached southeast Ohio during the predawn hours on the 25th. As the line of showers and thunderstorms sagged slowly south, the individual cells were moving west to east and training over portions of northern Athens, southern Morgan, and western Washington Counties.
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 RLX wrote it up.
After receiving about a half inch of rain on the morning of the 24th, more showers and thunderstorms reached southeast Ohio during the predawn hours on the 25th. As the line of showers and thunderstorms sagged slowly south, the individual cells were moving west to east and training over portions of northern Athens, southern Morgan, and western Washington Counties. Rain amounts of 3 to 4 inches were common in about 3 to 5 hours. The cooperative observer in Nelsonville measured 4.44 inches of rain, while Beverly had 3.23 inches. A spotter southwest of Glouster measured 3.2 inches of rain. Another spotter in southwestern Morgan County, south of Burr Oak State Park, measured 3.5 inches of rain. Street flooding and minor feeder stream flooding occurred.
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 Aug 25, 5:44 AM EST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 644 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011 .SYNOPSIS... COLD FRONT CROSSES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BEFORE STALLING TO OUR EAST TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. HURRICANE IRENE PASSES WELL EAST OF THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... 7 AM UPDATE...TRIMMED SOUTHERN EDGE OF POPS THIS MORNING. PRECIPITATION HANGING UP ACROSS THE N INSTEAD...RAISING CONCERNS FOR EXCESS WATER THERE. PREV DISCN... CONVECTION OUT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WELL INTO THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING. WITH THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT ALMOST OVER TOP OF THE COLD FRONT...AND WARM...UNSTABLE...MIXED AIR MASS IN PLACE...THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE RATHER STRONG DESPITE THE NOCTURNAL TIMING. EXPECT THE STORMS OVERALL NOT TO WEAKEN THAT MUCH THROUGH THIS MORNING...ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL BATCH OUGHT TO WEAKEN AFTER SUNRISE ON CLOUD TOP COOLING OF NOT WHILE OVER THE MOUNTAINS...THEN WHEN THEY GET EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS AND INTO SLIGHTLY A DOWNSLOPE REGIME. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS FORMING TO THE WEST OF THE LEAD LINE AT THIS TIME AND ON THROUGH THE MORNING ARE AND WILL BE QUITE STRONG. USED MAINLY WRFNMM AND WRFARW/WRFAK5 PATTERN WITH A TIMING ADJUSTMENT OF TWO HOURS FASTER. POPULATED HOURLY LAV TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY AND THEN ADJUSTED THESE HIGH VALUES DOWN PER TIMING OF CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION AND THEN ARRIVED AT A MAXT FROM THERE. IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT...LOW CLOUDS AND FOG ARE LIKELY TO FORM LATER TONIGHT...MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE OHIO RIVER. ROLLED WITH THE HIGHER OF THE MAV/MET FOR LOWS. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION BUILDS SOUTHEAST INTO THE OH VALLEY AND WV...WHILE A QUASI STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY LINGERS ALONG OR JUST EAST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS FRIDAY. THIS SCENARIO BRINGS DRY WEATHER FRIDAY AND SATURDAY LOWLANDS...WITH LOW CHANCE FOR SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE MOUNTAINS. MODELS INDICATE THAT THE NORTHERLY FLOW AT H85 WILL BRINGS AN AIRMASS 5C COOLER THAN THURSDAY...AND VERTICAL PROFILES SUGGEST A GOOD DEAL OF SUBSIDENCE WITH VERY DRY AIR AT AND ABOVE H7. MODELS ALSO SHOWING AN H5 SHORT WAVE ACROSS OH VALLEY ON FRIDAY. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE DRY CONDITIONS IN THE COLUMN...EXPECT MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. THIS SCENARIO CALLS FOR LOWER TEMPERATURES FRIDAY AFTERNOON...GENERALLY IN THE LOWER 80S LOWLANDS...RANGING TO THE LOWER 70S HIGHEST ELEVATIONS NORTHEAST MOUNTAINS. THEREFORE... DECREASE HIGHS TEMPS ABOUT 5 DEGREES AREAWIDE. THESE TEMPS ARE CLOSER TO THE MET/NAM GUIDANCE. MODELS SUGGEST A GRADUAL INCREMENT IN H85 NORTHERLY FLOW AS HURRICANE IRENE APPROACHES THE CAROLINAS COAST FRIDAY NIGHT...AND VIRGINIA SATURDAY. HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH IRENE WILL THICKEN SATURDAY...MAINLY ALONG THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS CUTTING DOWN SUNSHINE HEATING. THEREFORE...KEPT SATURDAYS HIGH TEMPS IN THE SIMILAR TO FRIDAYS. BY SUNDAY MORNING...IRENE SHOULD BE LOCATED OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD COAST CLOSER TO NYC. AT THE SAME TIME...A COLD FRONT REACHES SOUTHEAST OH. DUE TO THE POSITION OF IRENE WITH RESPECT OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT...SEEMS THAT THE FLOW FROM IRENE COULD RUN PARALLEL AHEAD OF THE FRONT...MINIMIZING ITS CONVERGENCE...AT LEAST OVER WV. THEREFORE...SUSPECTING THIS IS WHY MODELS ARE NOT SPITTING ANY QPF WITH THIS FRONT. THEREFORE...KEPT DRY WEATHER FOR SUNDAY WITH SOME DIURNAL CU FORMING DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. DOWN PLAYED DOWNSLOPE WARMING PER MIXING EXPECTED DUE TO STRONG LOW LEVEL FLOW OVER THE WEEKEND. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... GENERALLY QUIET IN EXTENDED LAND. UPR TROF REESTABLISHES ITSELF EARL NEXT WEEK WITH NW FLOW ALOFT PREVAILING. A COUPLE SFC FRONTS MAKE A RUN AT THE AREA BUT WX LOOKS MAINLY DRY AT THIS DISTANCE. TEMPS WILL RANGE GENERALLY LWR 80S OUTSIDE OF MTNS FOR HIGHS AND ARND 60 FOR LOWS. && .AVIATION /10Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... LINE OF STRONG CONVECTION SWEEPING THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. EXPECT CONVECTION...HAVING STRETCHED FROM EAST CENTRAL OHIO E ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN WV AS DAWN APPROACHED...WILL ALSO GRADUALLY WORK S DURING THE DAYLIGHT MORNING AND MIDDAY HOURS. THE CONVECTION THREAT WILL LAST UNTIL THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH ALTHOUGH MOST OF IT WILL BE OVER ABOUT TWO HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE FRONTAL PASSAGE IS NOT EXPECTED UNTIL EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE OHIO RIVER...LATE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL WV...AND NEAR OR EVEN JUST BEYOND 00Z FRI IN THE MOUNTAINS. MVFR WILL BE MOST COMMON IN THE PRECIPITATION WITH BRIEF IFR TO LIFR UNDER THE HEAVIEST DOWNPOURS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONVECTION. LOW CLOUDS AND FOG ARE LIKELY TO START FORMING E OF THE OHIO RIVER BY 06Z TONIGHT...WITH AREAS OF LIFR/VLIFR LOW CLOUD AND DENSE FOG BY DAWN FRI. GUSTY SW SURFACE FLOW WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE FRONT PASSES...THE FLOW SWITCHES TO LIGHT NW BEHIND THE FRONT AND THEN VEERS TOWARD NE THIS EVENING BEFORE BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT. STRONG SW FLOW TO START WILL BECOME MODERATE SW DURING THE DAY TODAY UNTIL THE FRONT PASSES...WHEN FLOW ALOFT BECOMES LIGHT NW...VEERING TO LIGHT N TONIGHT. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: COVERAGE AND TIMING OF CONVECTION DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS ON THURSDAY IS QUESTION. VISIBILITY MAY BE HIGHER THAN FORECAST. TIMING AND EXTENT OF FORMATION OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG TONIGHT MAY DIFFER. EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. DATE THU 08/25/11 UTC 1HRLY 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 EDT 1HRLY 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 CRW CONSISTENCY H H M M M L L L M M M H HTS CONSISTENCY M M M M L L L M H H H H BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H M M M M L L L EKN CONSISTENCY H H H M M M L L M M M M PKB CONSISTENCY M M L L M M M L M H H H CKB CONSISTENCY H M M M M L M M M M H H AFTER 12Z FRIDAY... IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN LOW CLOUDS AND FOG LATE THU NIGHT INTO FRI MORNING. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...NONE. OH...NONE. KY...NONE. VA...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...TRM/ARJ NEAR TERM...TRM SHORT TERM...ARJ LONG TERM...30 AVIATION...TRM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 411 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011 KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011- 013>020-024>040-046-047-260815- GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE-PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON-JACKSON- VINTON-MEIGS-GALLIA-DICKENSON-BUCHANAN-WAYNE-CABELL-MASON-WOOD- PLEASANTS-TYLER-LINCOLN-PUTNAM-KANAWHA-ROANE-WIRT-CALHOUN-RITCHIE- DODDRIDGE-MINGO-LOGAN-BOONE-CLAY-BRAXTON-GILMER-LEWIS-HARRISON- TAYLOR-MCDOWELL-WYOMING-RALEIGH-FAYETTE-NICHOLAS-WEBSTER-UPSHUR- BARBOUR-POCAHONTAS-RANDOLPH- 411 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND MUCH OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. TRM / ARJ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
345 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
WVZ030>032-040-250845-
BARBOUR WV-HARRISON WV-LEWIS WV-TAYLOR WV-
345 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN LEWIS...NORTHERN
BARBOUR...SOUTHEASTERN HARRISON AND TAYLOR COUNTIES...
AT 342 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES NORTHEAST
OF WESTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND
QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.
EXPECT INTENSE LIGHTNING FROM THIS STORM. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN
NOR SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS
WHEN A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR LOST CREEK AROUND 350 AM...STONEWOOD...NUTTER
FORT...CENTURY...AND CLARKSBURG AROUND 400 AM...ANMOORE...AND DESPARD
AROUND 405 AM...BRIDGEPORT AROUND 410 AM...GALLOWAY AND ROSEMONT
AROUND 420 AM.
THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING INTERSTATE...I-79 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS
101 AND 128.
PLEASE REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.
LAT...LON 3909 8018 3911 8022 3910 8029 3904 8031
3901 8038 3915 8051 3940 8019 3941 8010
3939 8008 3946 7995 3945 7990 3943 7989
3930 7989 3928 7985 3924 7984
08SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
518 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
OHZ066-067-075-251015-
ATHENS OH-MORGAN OH-PERRY OH-
518 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN ATHENS...SOUTHERN PERRY
AND SOUTHWESTERN MORGAN COUNTIES...
AT 512 AM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 9 MILES WEST OF
LOGAN...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL FALL FROM THIS STORM...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS AND
QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS. EXPECT INTENSE
LIGHTNING FROM THIS STORM.
DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN NOR SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING
THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS WHEN A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR NEW STRAITSVILLE AROUND 540 AM...BUCHTEL...
NELSONVILLE...AND SHAWNEE AROUND 545 AM...BUCHTEL...AND HEMLOCK
AROUND 550 AM...TRIMBLE...JACKSONVILLE...GLOUSTER AND CHAUNCEY AROUND
555 AM.
PLEASE REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.
LAT...LON 3965 8178 3926 8189 3935 8229 3947 8229
3948 8228 3947 8218 3955 8217 3955 8226
3959 8227 3959 8238 3961 8239 3962 8238
08SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
702 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
OHZ067-076-WVZ010-251145-
MORGAN OH-PLEASANTS WV-WASHINGTON OH-
702 AM EDT THU AUG 25 2011
...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PLEASANTS...
SOUTHERN MORGAN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES...
AT 654 AM EDT...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED 5
MILES NORTHWEST OF CHESTERHILL...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. VERY HEAVY RAIN
WILL FALL FROM THESE STORMS...AND WILL CAUSE WATER TO POND ON ROADS
AND QUICKLY FILL ROADSIDE DITCHES AND SMALL STREAMS.
EXPECT INTENSE LIGHTNING FROM THESE STORMS. DO NOT STAY IN THE OPEN
NOR SEEK SHELTER UNDER TREES WHEN LIGHTNING THREATENS...MOVE INDOORS
WHEN A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES.
THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR BEVERLY AROUND 710 AM...DEVOLA AROUND 720
AM...BELMONT AROUND 730 AM...POINT LOOKOUT AROUND 740 AM AND ARVILLA
AROUND 750 AM.
THIS WILL IMPACT THE FOLLOWING INTERSTATE...I-77 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS
1 AND 17 IN OHIO.
PLEASE REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY
CALLING TOLL FREE...877-633-6772...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY.
LAT...LON 3960 8134 3961 8127 3958 8126 3958 8104
3954 8104 3947 8111 3948 8105 3945 8102
3934 8107 3938 8140 3941 8144 3939 8149
3945 8186 3946 8204 3959 8203 3963 8158
3959 8158 3959 8149 3964 8148 3964 8145
08The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:42 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The small feeder streams into Sunday Creek and Federal Creek overflowed causing minor street flooding. Sunday Creek rose 8 to 10 feet but remained mostly within its banks. Route 33 in Nelsonville was flooded.
Small streams, such as Aldridge Run, flooded roads.
Small streams overflowed onto roads. Cats Creek was one specific example with roads flooded just north of Lowell.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Ohio in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Ohio, August 2011
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: 334917, 334921, 334928.