A line of showers associated with a strong upper level low pressure system moved through the West Virginia coal fields on the 23rd and 24th. With some dry air in the low levels, the showers were able to produce gusty winds that resulted in some minor tree damage.
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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 RLX wrote it up.
A line of showers associated with a strong upper level low pressure system moved through the West Virginia coal fields on the 23rd and 24th. With some dry air in the low levels, the showers were able to produce gusty winds that resulted in some minor tree damage. This included several trees blown down in the Bradshaw and Apple Grove in McDowell County, and several more around Dorothy and Tams in Raleigh County.
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 Apr 23, 3:20 PM EST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston WV 420 PM EDT Mon Apr 23 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Slow moving storm system approaches through tonight with rain lingering through midweek. Weak high pressure for the end of the week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 420 PM Monday...Increased PoP across the area into this evening based on current radar coverage and latest Meso Model guidance. As of 200 PM Monday... A low pressure system will gradually move through the area tonight and exit Wednesday night. Initial band from this low is moving though the CWA this afternoon. Winds will stay gusty through this evening and eventually die down after midnight, except on the mountain ridgetops. Will keep the wind advisory going through the evening for the southern and central mountain zones as 50-60kt low level jet maxes between 00Z-06Z tonight. Low Pressure moves across the area on Tuesday, keeping likely pops over the entire region most of the day. Temperatures stay on the warm side throughout. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 315 PM Monday... By Tuesday night, a closed low aloft will be located nearly overhead. Its associated, southern stream low pressure system will impact the area in the form of gusty rain showers through Tuesday night and will pivot out of Central Appalachia Wednesday afternoon as it travels toward the coastal Mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. Although rain showers will be common across the area, they should remain light with minimal risk for flooding. The best moisture exists further to our South and East in the Smokey Mountains and areas of the Piedmont - meanwhile we are limited to about 1" PWAT, at maximum, in this area. Expect widespread rainfall amounts up to 0.25", with higher amounts up to 0.75" possible in the eastern mountains - closer to the track of the low. Widespread cloud cover greatly limits the amount of instability we can muster, so have opted to leave thunder out of the forecast at this time. Wednesday night, the low pulls away toward the NE with weak high pressure building into the area from the West. Rain showers will taper through the night from West to East before drying entirely early Thursday. Temperatures remain seasonable through the period. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 330 PM Monday... Weak high pressure erodes Thursday night with another southern stream system and short wave approaching. The southern low creeps up the Piedmont Friday and has potential to generate showers along our eastern mountains. However, long-range models are trending further East with the system which would leave those areas dry. Confidence is therefore low in that portion of the forecast. Meanwhile, a digging trough across the Mississippi Valley approaches Friday with a mostly-dry cold front. This front will interact with the southern system Friday night through early Saturday, generating light shower activity across the bulk of the area, especially in areas toward the North. Then, the larger digging trough absorbs the southern system and kicks the entire mean trough East by mid-Saturday. Ridging aloft and high pressure builds for the remainder of the weekend with clearing and warming conditions into the next work week. && .AVIATION /20Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 220 PM Monday. Ceilings will lower through the day as clouds our next system approaches from the southwest. Light rain showers will continue to move through the region the rest of this afternoon and pretty much through the rest of the forecast period. Generally VFR conditions through the rest of this afternoon with brief MVFR CIGS/VSBYs in showers this evening and overnight tonight. Southeast winds 10-15kts gusting to 25 to 35kt across area this afternoon and tonight will gradually shift to a more southerly direction towards 12Z Tuesday and gradually diminish. As the low tracks over the area during the day on Tuesday, look for VFR Cigs/Vsbys to gradually become MVFR and possibly IFR in heavier showers. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: High to Medium ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Timing of MVFR/IFR conditions in showers and cigs may vary over the area during the overnight and morning hours on Tuesday. 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 M HTS CONSISTENCY H H H M M H H H H H H M BKW CONSISTENCY H H H M H H H M M M M L EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H M PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H M L CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H M AFTER 18Z TUESDAY... IFR conditions possible Tuesday and Tuesday night in light to moderate rain. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...Wind Advisory until 2 AM EDT Tuesday for WVZ515>522. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None. && SYNOPSIS...JS/MC NEAR TERM...JS/MPK SHORT TERM...MC LONG TERM...MC AVIATION...JS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Charleston WV 805 AM EDT Mon Apr 23 2018 KYZ101>103-105-OHZ066-067-075-076-083>087-VAZ003-004-WVZ005>011- 013>020-024>034-039-040-523>526-241215- Greenup-Carter-Boyd-Lawrence KY-Perry-Morgan-Athens-Washington- Jackson OH-Vinton-Meigs-Gallia-Lawrence OH-Dickenson-Buchanan-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-Upshur-Barbour- Northwest Pocahontas-Southeast Pocahontas-Northwest Randolph- Southeast Randolph- 805 AM EDT Mon Apr 23 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Kentucky, southeast Ohio, southwest Virginia, and portions of central West Virginia, northeast West Virginia, northern West Virginia, southern West Virginia and western West Virginia. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. WVZ515>522-241215- Northwest Raleigh-Southeast Raleigh-Northwest Fayette- Southeast Fayette-Northwest Nicholas-Southeast Nicholas- Northwest Webster-Southeast Webster- 805 AM EDT Mon Apr 23 2018 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM EDT TUESDAY... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northeast West Virginia and southeast West Virginia. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Wind Advisory. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. 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.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in West Virginia in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, April 2018
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: 743311, 743310.