Tornado and Hail in West Virginia, October 7, 2014

Name: Tornado and Hail in West Virginia, October 7, 2014
Start: 2014-10-07T17:15
End: 2014-10-07T22:50
Location: West Virginia

October 7, 2014 · NWS RLX · 8 events in 5 counties and zones

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: $280,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

A strong wind flow existed in the lower atmosphere, well ahead of a surface cold front. Clusters of fast moving showers and thunderstorms raced across northeast Kentucky and into southern West Virginia during the late afternoon and evening hours. Late in the evening, a brief EF2 tornado occurred over the high terrain near Odd in southern Raleigh County.

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 Oct 7, 12:42 PM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 7, 12:42 PM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
142 PM EDT TUE OCT 7 2014

.SYNOPSIS...
STRONG DISTURBANCE WHIPS THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH WEAK COLD FRONT
OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WEDNESDAY. MOISTURE INCREASES AGAIN LATE
THURSDAY IN FAST ZONAL FLOW.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
LOW LEVEL FLOW INCREASING.  VAD WINDS NEAR 1730Z AROUND 35 KNOTS AT
850 MBS AT RLX AND ILN.  850 MB JET MAX OF 50 TO 55 KNOTS WHIPS
THROUGH AHEAD OF STRONG MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE.  THE MID LEVEL AT 500
MB VORT MAXIMUM SWINGS THROUGH ABOUT 03Z ACROSS NRN WV.

STRONG HELOCITY IN THE 400 TO 500 RANGE IN THE FIRST 2 TO 3
KIOMETERS. IN THE LOW LEVELS WITH SOUTH WINDS VEERING. SO CELLS WILL
LIKELY SHOW LOW LEVEL ROTATION. YET BOUYANCY IS LIMITED.

KEEPING POPS IN THE 60 TO 80 PERCENT RANGE FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON
INTO EARLY EVENING.

HAVE SURFACE FRONT PASSING 03Z TO 06Z...WITH CLEARING IN ITS WAKE.
DID HOLD ONTO SOME LOWER CLOUDS.  STILL THINKING WINDS SUFFICIENT TO
PREVENT MUCH FOG AT DAWN...JUST A BIT IN THE DEEPER VALLEYS IN SRN
WV S OF CRW.

STILL PLEASANT DAY PICTURED ON WEDNESDAY.  NO MAJOR CHANGES IN
TEMPEATURES.

&&

.SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
BRIEF PERIOD OF DRIER WEATHER WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE BRIEFLY BUILDS INTO THE REGION. ACTIVE WEATHER HOWEVER WILL
RETURN LATER IN THE DAY THURSDAY...AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED
WITH LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST U.S. MOVES NORTHEAST INTO THE
REGION. THIS...ALONG WITH MULTIPLE WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING
ALONG THE FRONT...WILL TRIGGER ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS...WITH HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE AT TIMES WITH ANY STORMS.
THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY BETWEEN MODELS CONCERNING PLACEMENT OF
FRONT/TRACK OF WAVES ACROSS THE AREA...BUT CONTINUED TO LEAN MORE
TOWARDS THE ECMWF/HPC SOLUN...KEEPING HIGHER POPS ACROSS THE SOUTH.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
USED WPC THINKING WITH SOME MINOR TWEAKS.  PERIOD WILL START WITH
FRONT JUST TO OUR SOUTH.  THIS FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE
REGION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LIFTS
INTO THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.

WPC TEMPS LOOKED GOOD AND WERE GENERALLY USED.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
STRONG MID LEVEL 500 MB DISTURBANCE WHIPS THROUGH 00Z TO 03Z
WEDNESDAY/THIS EVENING.  850 MB FLOW JET MAX OF 50 TO 55 KNOTS AHEAD
OF THIS FEATURE.  VERRING OF LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL CAUSE SOME
CONVECTIVE CELLS TO BE ROTATING.

STILL EXPECTED WIDESPREAD FAST MOVING CONVECTION TO PEAK DURING THE
21Z TO 01Z...THEN WANE OVER THE MOUNTAINS BY 06Z.

WIDESPREAD CEILINGS 2 TO 3 THSD FT AND VSBY AOB 3 MILES IN ANY
CONVECTION.   SOME CEILINGS 1 TO 2 THSD FT LINGERING OVER MOUNTAINS
IN WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT OVERNIGHT.

OTHERWISE EXPECT DRIER AIR TO QUICKLY CHARGE OUR WAY WITH MAINLY
SCATTERED CLOUDS 12Z TO 18Z.  EXPECT LOW LEVEL FLOW TO BE SUFFICIENT
ENOUGH TO PREVENT WIDESPREAD PREDAWN FOG.  SOME OF THE DEEPER
VALLEYS IN SOUTHERN WV MAY HAVE SOME LOCAL VALLEY FOG NEAR DAWN.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY...

FORECAST CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM.

ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: AREAL COVERAGE OF THE LOWER CLOUDS ALONG AND IN
WAKE OF THE FRONT AFTER 00Z COULD VARY.

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  M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M
HTS CONSISTENCY  M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    H    H    H
BKW CONSISTENCY  H    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    M    H    M    M
EKN CONSISTENCY  H    M    M    M    M    M    M    H    H    H    H    H
PKB CONSISTENCY  M    H    H    H    H    H    M    M    H    H    H    H
CKB CONSISTENCY  H    M    M    M    M    M    H    H    H    H    H    M

AFTER 18Z WEDNESDAY...
IFR POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY.

&&

.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...NONE.
OH...NONE.
KY...NONE.
VA...NONE.

&&

SYNOPSIS...JSH/KTB/SL
NEAR TERM...KTB
SHORT TERM...JMV
LONG TERM...KMC
AVIATION...KTB

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 7, 1:05 PM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
205 PM EDT TUE OCT 7 2014

KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-WVZ005>010-013>019-024>027-
081815-
GREENUP-CARTER-BOYD-LAWRENCE KY-PERRY-MORGAN-ATHENS-WASHINGTON-
JACKSON OH-VINTON-MEIGS-GALLIA-LAWRENCE OH-WAYNE-CABELL-MASON-
JACKSON WV-WOOD-PLEASANTS-LINCOLN-PUTNAM-KANAWHA-ROANE-WIRT-CALHOUN-
RITCHIE-MINGO-LOGAN-BOONE-CLAY-
205 PM EDT TUE OCT 7 2014

...TORNADO WATCH 523 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST
KENTUCKY...SOUTHEAST OHIO AND MUCH OF WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TORNADO WATCH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

VAZ003-004-WVZ011-020-028>040-046-047-081815-
DICKENSON-BUCHANAN-TYLER-DODDRIDGE-BRAXTON-GILMER-LEWIS-HARRISON-
TAYLOR-MCDOWELL-WYOMING-RALEIGH-FAYETTE-NICHOLAS-WEBSTER-UPSHUR-
BARBOUR-POCAHONTAS-RANDOLPH-
205 PM EDT TUE OCT 7 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...CENTRAL
WEST VIRGINIA...NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA AND SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 7, 4:44 PM EST, 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
544 PM EDT TUE OCT 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0500 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 WNW LOAD              38.57N  83.03W
10/07/2014                   GREENUP            KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL LARGE LIMBS DOWN DUE TO STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1401212

FB

Local storm report, Oct 7, 4:49 PM EST, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
549 PM EDT TUE OCT 07 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0540 PM     HAIL             13 N SOUTH POINT        38.61N  82.57W
10/07/2014  E0.50 INCH       LAWRENCE           OH   TRAINED SPOTTER

            0.5 INCH HAIL REPORTED.

&&

EVENT NUMBER RLX1401213

SL

The radar

The Charleston,WV radar (KRLX), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:15 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lincoln

When: October 7, 5:15 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 5.12 mi NE of Portersville
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.371, -82.052

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: October 7, 5:15 PM EST
Where: Lincoln County, 5.12 mi NE of Portersville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.371, -82.052

A wind gust of 60 mph was estimated.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kanawha

When: October 7, 5:28 PM EST
Where: Kanawha County, 1.83 mi WNW of Ruth
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: 911 Call Center
Coordinates: 38.327, -81.753

Trees were blown down onto power lines along Chestnut Street.

Hail, Putnam

When: October 7, 5:40 PM EST
Where: Putnam County, 3.45 mi S of Hurricane
Measured: 2 in hail
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 38.380, -82.030

Hail, Kanawha

When: October 7, 7:52 PM EST
Where: Kanawha County, Alum Creek
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 38.280, -81.800

Hail, Kanawha

When: October 7, 7:53 PM EST
Where: Kanawha County, 0.46 mi S of Ruth
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 38.313, -81.720

Elongated large hail briefly fell at the National Weather Service Office near Southridge. The largest hail was 2.5 inches long and about 0.75 inches wide.

Tornado, Raleigh

When: October 7, 9:41 PM EST to 9:45 PM EST
Where: Raleigh County, 1.29 mi S of Willibet to 1.78 mi SW of Ghent
Rating: EF2
Path length: 3.01 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $275,000
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 37.601, -81.201

A brief EF2 tornado touched down near the community of Odd. This path is across terrain with an elevation of 2700 to 2800 feet and is just north of Flat Top Mountain.

The maximum wind gust estimated by the survey was 125 mph.

On Route 33 a well built garage or outbuilding, with a bolted foundation, was completely destroyed. An entire couch from that building was blown across the street and wrapped around a tree. About 10 to 20 houses, including mobile homes, had minor roof and porch damage. A few barns and outbuildings were damaged. At least 2 vehicles were destroyed. A new pickup truck was smashed by a fallen tree. Another car was hit by fallen trees. One parked school bus had its front windshield broken.

Hundreds of large healthy trees were blown down. Exposed trees were blown down or uprooted. Trees more protected by the terrain had their tops sheared off. Power outages to several hundred people occurred. Roads were closed by the fallen trees. The local telephone company had around 20 poles damaged.

Hail, McDowell

When: October 7, 10:50 PM EST
Where: McDowell County, Jolo
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.320, -81.820

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in West Virginia in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history The tornado archive for West Virginia, 2014 Warnings in West Virginia, October 2014

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: 538959, 538960, 538958, 538957, 539040, 538962, 539166, 539028.