Just ahead of a squall line, temperatures were in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Dew points were in the low and mid 50s.
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.
Just ahead of a squall line, temperatures were in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Dew points were in the low and mid 50s. The convective squall line moved east at about 35 to 40 mph, causing widespread wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph. A few enhanced areas received severe convective wind gusts.
With strong dynamics aloft, widespread rain fell behind the squall line until the cold front passed on either side of 0000E on the 31st. Rain amounts of 1 to 2 inches were common, with 2.5 inches in the Greenbrier Valley. For example, Marlinton had 2.6 inches of rain.| |As the prolonged rain was coming to an end, many small streams and creeks ran around bankfull late on the 30th. This caused some minor water problems. A woman drowned in Mason County, when she tried to crossed a swollen small stream.
Strong rises also occurred on the headwater rivers. Some minor river flooding occurred. The Greenbrier River crested just over 11 feet in Marlinton near dawn on the 31st. Bankfull at Marlinton is 10 feet. This caused some minor flooding around houses near the mouth of Knapp Creek. The Tug Fork River crested slightly above its 27 foot flood stage on the 31st during the early afternoon. The crest was around 28.3 feet. The Tygart Valley River overflowed around Mill Creek and Belington. The last effects of this heavy rain event was high water along the Ohio River that spilled over into early February.
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 Jan 30, 5:55 AM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
555 AM EST WED JAN 30 2013
.SYNOPSIS...
STRONG COLD FRONT TODAY WITH STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE SHOWERS AND
STORMS. MUCH COLDER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT BRINGS SNOW THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY...ALONG WITH WINDY CONDITIONS.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
WV...NORTHEAST KY...AND SOUTHEAST OH UNTIL 18Z.
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST TODAY. MODELS SHOW
STRONG DYNAMICS AND PRECIPITATELY WATER OF 1.45 INCHES. WITH SOILS
ACROSS THE REGION NEARLY SATURATED...AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL FROM
1 TO 2 INCHES...AS SUGGESTED BY HPC GUIDANCE COULD PRODUCE HIGH
RISES ON SMALL STREAM...CREEKS AND SOME OF THE MAIN RIVERS THROUGH
THURSDAY. THE MAXIMUM QPF BULLS EYE FOCUSES OVER THE NORTHEAST
MOUNTAINS WHERE WE ARE HOSTING A FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
SOME RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE ALREADY RUNNING HIGH DUE TO MELTING
SNOW AND PREVIOUS RAINFALL. SOME OF THE MAIN RIVERS MOST
VULNERABLE TO REACH FLOOD STAGE ARE THE WEST FORK AT WESTON...THE
GREENBRIER RIVER AT BUCKEYE AND ALDERSON.
THE NAM IS IN AGREEMENT WITH ALL THE HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS ON THE
TIMING OF A SQUALL LINE REACHING SOUTHEAST OH AROUND 15Z THIS
MORNING. MODELS SHOW H850 FLOW INCREASING JUST AHEAD OF THE SQUALL
LINE TO 50 TO 70 KNOTS IN THE WARM SECTOR...SUGGESTING UPGLIDE
LIKELY TO MIX DOWN TO THE SFC BY THE CONVECTIVE LINE. OUTFLOWS
FROM INDIVIDUAL STORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AHEAD OF
THE LINE AS WELL. DECIDED TO ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS THROUGH 1 AM TONIGHT.
A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER COVERS THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY. THE
MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. WITH FREEZING LEVELS ALONG THE
QLCS WILL BE AROUND 10KFT. THEREFORE...HAIL CAN NOT BE RULED OUT
WITH THE STRONGER STORMS.
THE CONVECTIVE LINE COULD PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...WITH
SATURATED TERRAIN...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS...TREES COULD BE
UPROOTED TO CAUSE POWER FLUCTUATIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS.
270K THRU 280K ISENTROPIC SFC SHOW WIND GUST COULD REACH 40 KNOTS
ALONG HIGHER ELEVATIONS THIS MORNING THROUGH TONIGHT. THEREFORE...A
WIND ADVISORY WAS ISSUED FOR PO CA...RANDOLPH AND WEBSTER THROUGH
1 AM TONIGHT. THIS ADVISORY HAS BEEN ALREADY UPGRADED TO A HIGH
WIND WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM THURSDAY...AS 280K ISENTROPIC SFC
SHOW 50 KNOTS DOWNGLIDING TO THE GROUND SPREADING FROM SOUTHEAST
OH BY 06Z TO THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS BY 09Z THURSDAY. AT THE SAME
TIME...A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ENTIRE REST OF THE
AREA FROM 1 AM THROUGH 10 AM THURSDAY.
&&
.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
APPROACHING ACTIVE WEATHER FROM THE WEST WITH MULTIPLE HEADLINES
WILL PRECLUDE A LONG DISCUSSION THIS MORNING. INHERITED MAX TEMPS
FROM PREV FCST WITH HIGHS ON THURSDAY GENERALLY LOW/MID 30S LOWLANDS
STILL LOOK REASONABLE PER EXPECTED 850MB AND 925MB TEMPS. ANY
REMAINING LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE AREA AT 12Z THU WILL BE QUICKLY
WINDING DOWN ACROSS LOWLAND LOCATIONS AS STRONG LARGE SCALE FORCING
FOR SUBSIDENCE OVERSPREADS THE AREA. LIGHT UPSLOPE SNOW SHOWERS WILL
CONTINUE WITH TRAPPED LLVL MOISTURE IN THE LEE OF THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS BUT AMOUNTS SHOULD REMAIN ON THE LIGHT SIDE WITH 850MB
WINDS OUT OF THE WEST AND THUS NOT OFF THE GREAT LAKES. WIND SPEEDS
WILL STAY UP FOR MUCH OF DAY DESPITE THE STRONG SFC LOW RAPIDLY
PULLING AWAY FROM THE AREA...WILL MAINTAIN A RELATIVELY GOOD
PRESSURE GRADIENT WITH AND 925MB WINDS ON THE ORDER OF AROUND
25-30KTS...CAN EXPECT A GENERAL 15G25KT WIND FOR MOST LOCATIONS.
STRONGER WINDS OF COURSE CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN
WHERE WILL KEEP THE NEAR-TERM HIGH WIND WARNING GOING THROUGH 15Z
THU.
THE NEXT DISTURBANCE STILL ON TRACK FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AS AN UPPER
LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH PUSHES THROUGH. EXPECT A QUICK DUSTING TO
ABOUT A HALF-INCH OR SO ACROSS THE LOWLANDS...ESPECIALLY FROM
ROUGHLY THE INTERSTATE 64 AND POINTS SOUTH...WITH ABOUT 2-3 INCHES
POSSIBLE FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS BY FRIDAY MORNING. THE SYSTEM
QUICKLY MOVES THROUGH BY EARLY FRIDAY WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES STILL
IN ITS WAKE. NUDGED MAX TEMPS FRIDAY DOWN A COUPLE OF DEGREES MOST
LOCATIONS PER PROGGED 925MB TEMPS. STILL EXPECT SOME LATE DAY SUN
MAINLY ACROSS WEST AND SOUTHWEST ZONES. YET ANOTHER CLIPPER-TYPE
SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA OVERNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE NEXT
CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW AGAIN.
&&
.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
PATTERN TO STAY COLD OVERALL WITH THE HUDSON BAY VORTEX FIRMLY IN
CONTROL. RECOVERY FROM THE AIRMASS FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONT TOMORROW
WILL BE SLOW...BUT SHOULD SEE NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURN INTO
THE MONDAY TIME FRAME. SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND
SATURDAY NIGHT WITH AN ALBERTA CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM TRAVERSING THE
GREAT LAKES. AFTER A DRY SUNDAY...PRECIPITATION RETURNS EARLY NEXT
WEEK WITH ANOTHER STRONGER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT WILL ALSO
CONTAIN CLIPPER TYPE CHARACTERISTICS. IN THE END...THE COLD
AIR MASSES WILL CONTINUOUSLY BE REINFORCED DESPITE THE
AFOREMENTIONED BRIEF MODIFICATION PRIOR TO THE SECOND COLD FRONT.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS SOUTHEAST OH THIS
MORNING...SPREADING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG DAMAGING
WINDS ALONG A SQUALL LINE. EXPECT MVFR/LIFR CONDITIONS ALONG ITS
PATH. CEILINGS WILL DETERIORATE BEHIND THE FRONT...AS WELL AS WIND
GUSTS EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM 40 TO 50 KNOTS LATER TONIGHT FROM
06Z...SPREADING EAST THROUGH 12Z.
VERY COLD AIR ADVECTION BEHIND A SECOND COLD FRONT WILL TRANSITION
PCPN FROM LIQUID TO SNOW LATER TONIGHT. THEREFORE...EXPECT PERIODS
OF IFR UNDER SNOW.
THE SQUALL LINE WILL REACH THE HTS AROUND 15Z...CRW NEAR 16-18Z
CKB...EKN AND BKW 21-00Z.
THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS TO PRODUCE
DAMAGE.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY...
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: HIGH.
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING OF SHOWERS COULD VARY AND WIND GUSTS
COULD BE STRONGER THAN FORECAST.
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 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
EST 1HRLY 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H M M M M L L
HTS CONSISTENCY H H M M M M M M L L L M
BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H M M M H
EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H M H H H
PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H M M M M M L M M
CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H M M M L
AFTER 12Z THURSDAY...
IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY IN THE
MOUNTAINS DUE TO SNOW SHOWERS.
&&
.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST THURSDAY FOR WVZ005>011-
013>020-024>037-039-040.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 PM EST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR WVZ028-030>032-035>040-046-047.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST THURSDAY FOR WVZ038-
046-047.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR WVZ038-046-047.
OH...WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST THURSDAY FOR OHZ066-067-
075-076-083>087.
KY...WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST THURSDAY FOR KYZ101>103-
105.
VA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 10 AM EST THURSDAY FOR VAZ003-004.
&&
SYNOPSIS...ARJ/50
NEAR TERM...ARJ
SHORT TERM...50
LONG TERM...26
AVIATION...ARJ<!doctype html>
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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
800 AM EST WED JAN 30 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0759 AM TSTM WND GST 2 W WARNOCK 38.49N 83.01W
01/30/2013 M38 MPH GREENUP KY CO-OP OBSERVER
&&
EVENT NUMBER RLX1300115
JSHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
800 AM EST WED JAN 30 2013
OHZ066-067-075-076-084>086-WVZ007-301400-
ATHENS OH-GALLIA OH-MASON WV-MEIGS OH-MORGAN OH-PERRY OH-VINTON OH-
WASHINGTON OH-
800 AM EST WED JAN 30 2013
...A LINE OF SHOWERS WITH STRONG WIND GUSTS WILL AFFECT
ATHENS...EASTERN GALLIA...EASTERN VINTON...MASON...
MEIGS...MORGAN...SOUTHEASTERN PERRY AND WESTERN WASHINGTON
COUNTIES...
AT 755 AM EST...A LINE OF SHOWERS WITH STRONG WIND GUSTS WAS LOCATED
10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LOGAN...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. WIND GUSTS OF
40 TO 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS LINE.
THIS LINE OF SHOWERS WILL BE NEAR NELSONVILLE...NEW
STRAITSVILLE...SALEM CENTER...AND CROWN CITY AROUND 815
AM...BUCHTEL...HEMLOCK...ALBANY...AND CARPENTER AROUND 820
AM...JACKSONVILLE AND CHAUNCEY AROUND 825 AM.
YOU MAY REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER BY POSTING YOUR REPORT TO THE
CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FACEBOOK PAGE...OR
BY USING THE TWITTER HASHTAG...NWSRLX.
LAT...LON 3978 8207 3976 8164 3962 8158 3908 8179
3908 8181 3889 8186 3887 8191 3884 8188
3866 8195 3858 8232 3939 8233 3939 8229
3948 8228 3947 8218 3955 8217 3955 8226
3959 8227 3959 8232 3982 8208
25<!doctype html>
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</html>The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:34 UTC.
7 flood, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Windows were blown out of a bank building.
A few trees were blown down from the Raccoon Creek area to around Milton.
A section of a metal roof was blown off a home along Bell Crouch Road.
Trees were blown down along Holly Bush Road.
The headwaters of Laurel Fork were out of their banks. Water was flowing over small bridges and Glen Rogers Road was closed.
Persinger Creek flooded west of Calvin. The intersection of Routes 41 and 55 was closed due to the high water.
A 50 year old woman drowned, while attempting to walk across a swollen small stream, called Beech Fork. It was dark, around 2100E. She was going to work at a juvenile center. She had to cross the stream to get to her vehicle. She had left her vehicle on higher ground, knowing the stream would be flowing above normal levels. Apparently, the force of the water was too much and carried her away. Her body was found 6 hours later about 100 yards from her home.
The upper reaches of the Dry Fork flooded roads. The crest on the gauge at Bradshaw was around 11.4 feet during the predawn hours on the 31st. Bankfull is 10 feet.
The headwaters of the Tygart Valley River flooded roads. The Mill Creek gauge crested over 13 feet after dawn on the 31st. Bankfull is 11 feet.
The Greenbrier River crested over bankfull in Marlinton near dawn on the 31st. The crest was around 11.3 feet on the stage gauge. Bankfull is 10 feet. Water surrounded a few houses near the mouth of Knapp Creek.
Minor flooding occurred along the Tug Fork River, causing some road closures. The crest in Williamson was just over 28 feet by 1400E of the 31st. Flood stage is 27 feet, but a flood wall protects the town itself.
As the month was coming to an end, the Tygart Valley River was cresting just over its 14 foot flood stage around Belington. This was a minor event, causing just a few roads to flood.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain, Mason | 2013-01-30 | 50 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, January 2013
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: 426433, 426416, 426417, 426420, 426434, 426442, 426639, 426439, 426451, 426440, 426438, 426690.