Scattered thunderstorms formed over the mountainous 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.
Scattered thunderstorms formed over the mountainous counties.
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 Jul 23, 1:58 PM EST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 258 PM EDT MON JUL 23 2012 .SYNOPSIS... UNSETTLED PATTERN IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THROUGH MID WEEK. COLD FRONT FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... SO FAR HAVE NOT SEEN THE CLOUDS BREAKING UP OR THINNING MUCH...BUT CURRENT SATELLITE SHOWS SOME CLEARER SKIES OVER SW OHIO...WHICH SHOULD BRING SOME SUNSHINE TO OUR WESTERN MOST ZONES...INCREASING INSTABILITY AND THE CHANCE OF STRONGER STORMS FORMING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. NORTH OF THIS AREA...CONVECTION HAS BEEN ONGOING MOST OF THE MORNING...ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND VORT MAX EXPECTED TO DROP SE THIS AFTERNOON. AS THIS FEATURE MOVES OVER THE AREA GETTING AFOREMENTIONED HEATING...IT SHOULD TAP INTO CAPE VALUES IN THE 1500J/KG RANGE...ALONG WITH 35-40 KTS OF 1000-500MB BULK SHEAR...RESULTING IN THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING. ONE WRENCH IN THE MACHINE COULD BE THE EXACT TRACK OF THE VORT MAX...BOTH NAM AND RAP SHOW THE BEST UPPER SUPPORT CROSSING OUR NORTHERN ZONES WHERE THE CLOUDS SHOULD REMAIN THICKER...THUS CONVECTION MAY STRUGGLE WHERE THE BEST UPPER SUPPORT PASSES. MODELS HAVE US BETWEEN UPPER DISTURBANCES SO BACKED OFF ON THE POPS SOME. PREVIOUS NAM RUNS HAD BEEN HINTING AT AN MCS OVERNIGHT...BUT 00Z HAS LOST THAT FEATURE...WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR INDICATIONS THAT AN MCS IS DEVELOPING UPSTREAM...WHICH WOULD THEN REQUIRE POPS TO BE PUT BACK INTO THE FORECAST. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON TUESDAY. AGAIN LOOKING AT AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WITH 1500-2500 J/KG CAPE POSSIBLE...AND NAM EVEN SHOWS 45+ KTS DEEP SHEAR...WITH PWAT VALUES CLIMBING ABOVE 2 INCHES. THIS WILL AGAIN BRING THE CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HEAVY RAIN ALSO POSSIBLE. DID NOT ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS POINT...BUT SHOULD AREAS RECEIVE SOME HEAVY RAIN WITH TODAYS CONVECTION...AND THEN LOOK TO BE IN LINE WITH TOMORROWS HIGH PWAT CONVECTION AS WELL...FLOODING WOULD BECOME A CONCERN. ONLY MADE MINOR TWEAKS TO TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE NEAR TERM. LOWERED HIGHS TODAY JUST A BIT ACROSS THE NORTH DUE TO PERSISTENT CLOUDS. TONIGHT WILL BE A WARM ONE...WITH HIGH HUMIDITIES AND LINGERING CLOUDS. HIGHS ON TUESDAY LOOKED FAIRLY GOOD...WITH NEAR 90 ACROSS THE LOWLANDS...AND 70S TO LOW 80S IN THE MOUNTAINS. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. NOT CONFIDENT HOW FAR FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH. BUT THE END RESULT SHOULD BE A CONTINUED CHANCE OF STORMS ON WEDNESDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTH. THIS BOUNDARY SHOULD PUSH BACK NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HPC 6HR QPF SUGGESTS UP TO 0.25 INCHES OF PRECIP ACROSS A LARGE PART OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER...NAM ACTUALLY INDICATES MUCH OF THE REGION WILL BE DRY...SO DID NOT GO VERY HIGH WITH POPS AS THE WARM FRONT PUSHES BACK NORTHEAST. REGION SHOULD THEN BE IN THE WARM SECTOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. WITH DAYTIME HEATING...EXPECT A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. PREVIOUS TEMPS ARE CLOSE TO LATEST TEMP GUIDANCE...AND WILL BE USED. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... USED HPC THINKING WITH SOME TWEAKS. A FEW SYSTEM WILL PUSH ACROSS THE REGION ON FRIDAY WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. A COLD FRONT SHOULD THEN MOVE SOUTHEAST ON SATURDAY AND HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. A WARM FRONT WILL THEN PUSH BACK TO THE NORTHEAST ON MONDAY. LATEST TEMP GUIDANCE IS VERY CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUS TEMP FORECAST FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...SO VERY FEW CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE PREVIOUS NUMBERS. GUIDANCE LOOKS GOOD FOR TEMPERATURES MONDAY AND WAS USED. && .AVIATION /19Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA...AND EXPECT IT TO CONTINUE UNTIL WE LOSE DAYTIME HEATING LATER THIS EVENING. HAVE HAD A MVFR DECK FLOATING AROUND...IMPACTING TAF SITES FROM TIME TO TIME...SO INCLUDED SOME MVFR CEILINGS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS AT KCRW AND KBKW...DO THINK IT WILL BE AN IN AND OUT OF MVFR TYPE THING THOUGH. OTHERWISE...FOCUS TURNS TO CONVECTION THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IN GENERAL EXPECTING VFR...WITH DIPS INTO MVFR POSSIBLE IN STRONGER SHOWERS. SHOULD ANY STRONG STORMS FORM...BRIEF IFR AND GUSTY WINDS WOULD BE POSSIBLE...BUT TIMING AND LOCATION UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. MUCH OF THAT WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH SUNSHINE CAN MAKE IT INTO FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT CONVECTION TO DECREASE TONIGHT...BUT WITH LIGHT FLOW AND LINGER CLOUDS DO NOT EXPECT FOG TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE. HOWEVER...WITH VERY MOIST AIR IN PLACE...SHOULD RAIN HIT A TAF SITE...FOLLOWED BY SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS LATER TONIGHT...FOG COULD BECOME AN ISSUE. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM TO HIGH. ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: PROBABILITY OF TSTMS MONDAY AFTERNOON HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE. 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. UTC 1HRLY 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 03 04 05 EDT 1HRLY 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H AFTER 18Z TUESDAY... IFR POSSIBLE IN STORMS THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...NONE. OH...NONE. KY...NONE. VA...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JSH/MZ NEAR TERM...MZ SHORT TERM...JSH LONG TERM...JSH AVIATION...MZ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 210 PM EDT MON JUL 23 2012 KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-WVZ005>011-013>020-024>040- 046-047-241815- GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE KY-PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON- JACKSON OH-VINTON-MEIGS-GALLIA-LAWRENCE OH-WAYNE-CABELL-MASON- JACKSON WV-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- 210 PM EDT MON JUL 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO AND MUCH OF WEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY. THERE IS ALSO A POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WHICH MAY CAUSE FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. VAZ003-004-241815- DICKENSON-BUCHANAN- 210 PM EDT MON JUL 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY. THERE IS ALSO A POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WHICH MAY CAUSE FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:23 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Around 22 cows were killed. They had taken shelter under a tree in a downpour. Lightning had struck the tree. Three other cows in the pasture were spared.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, July 2012
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: 397774.