West Virginia, 2018

Winter Storm and Flooding in West Virginia, January 12 to 13, 2018

January 12 to 13, 2018 · NWS PBZ · 9 events in 5 counties and zones

Low pressure tracking up the Appalachians combined with a strong arctic cold front to produce a significant rain and snow producing storm for the region. Ahead of the front, a strong southwesterly moisture feed and mid-level short wave brought heavy rainfall to the area, with 2 to 3 inch storm total rainfall reports common.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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 PBZ wrote it up.

Low pressure tracking up the Appalachians combined with a strong arctic cold front to produce a significant rain and snow producing storm for the region. Ahead of the front, a strong southwesterly moisture feed and mid-level short wave brought heavy rainfall to the area, with 2 to 3 inch storm total rainfall reports common. This rain created strong rises on area rivers and streams, with several gauging points reaching flood stage. Also, the strong river rises broke up ice on these waterways, creating significant ice jam concerns.

The strong arctic cold front passed through during the afternoon and evening of the 12th, bringing a flash freeze to area roads that were wet and water-covered from the rain. A mix of sleet and freezing rain developed during the evening with minor ice accretion reported. Precipitation then changed to all snow and continued into the morning of the 13th before tapering to snow showers. A swath of 6-8 inches of snow fell from southeast Ohio, across the northern WV panhandle into portions of southwest Pennsylvania, with lesser totals in the Laurel Highlands and southeastern ridges.

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 Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 12, 4:17 AM EST, 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 4:17 AM EST, 22 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 12, 4:20 AM EST, 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
420 AM EST Fri Jan 12 2018

OHZ059-068-069-PAZ023-031-073>076-WVZ004-012-021-509>512-130930-
Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Indiana-Greene-Westmoreland-Westmoreland Ridges-
Fayette-Fayette Ridges-Marshall-Wetzel-Marion-Monongalia-
Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston-Preston-
Eastern Preston-
420 AM EST Fri Jan 12 2018

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
EST SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, southwest
Pennsylvania, west central Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and
northern panhandle of 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.

   Flood Watch.
   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Flood Watch.
   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

OHZ039>041-049-050-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>022-029-WVZ001>003-130930-
Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Harrison-Jefferson-Mercer-Venango-
Forest-Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Beaver-Allegheny-Armstrong-Washington-
Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-
420 AM EST Fri Jan 12 2018

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM
EST SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, northwest
Pennsylvania, southwest Pennsylvania, west central Pennsylvania,
western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and northern panhandle
of 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.

   Flood Watch.
   Winter Storm Warning.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Flood Watch.
   Winter Storm Warning.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

MDZ001-WVZ513-514-130930-
Garrett-Western Tucker-Eastern Tucker-
420 AM EST Fri Jan 12 2018

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
EST SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for western Maryland and northern
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.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

OHZ048-057-058-130930-
Coshocton-Muskingum-Guernsey-
420 AM EST Fri Jan 12 2018

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
7 AM EST SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio.

.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.

   Flood Watch.
   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Flood Watch.
   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 12, 3:15 AM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 3:16 AM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 3:31 AM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 4:12 AM EST, 27 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 4:14 AM EST, 25 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 4:30 AM EST, 9 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood, 4 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Marshall

When
January 12, 4:39 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Marshall County, Cameron to 0.76 mi SSE of Cameron
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
39.830, -80.570

Emergency manager reported a couple of houses flooded in Cameron. Several other roads are flooded throughout the county.

Flood, Ohio

When
January 12, 5:19 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Ohio County, 1.26 mi ENE of Wheeling to 0.86 mi NW of Bethlehem
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
40.080, -80.700

Emergency manager reported roads closed due to flooding.

Flood, Hancock

When
January 12, 6:37 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Hancock County, 1.05 mi W of Weirton Arpt to 0.38 mi ENE of Weirton
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.400, -80.550

Trained spotter reported that Kings Creek was out of its banks and flooding the intersection of Kings Creek Road and Martina Drive. Also flooding is occuring on Willow Road and Union Chapel.

Flood, Brooke

When
January 12, 7:25 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST
Where
Brooke County, 1.62 mi NNW of Bethany to 2.08 mi NNE of Bethany
Cause
Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
40.220, -80.567

Emergency manager reported that Buffalo Creek was flooding portions of Bethany.

Winter Storm, Hancock

When
January 12, 5:00 PM EST to January 13, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Hancock forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.522, -80.574 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Brooke

When
January 12, 5:00 PM EST to January 13, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Brooke forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.274, -80.576 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ohio

When
January 12, 5:00 PM EST to January 13, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Ohio forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.097, -80.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marshall

When
January 12, 5:00 PM EST to January 13, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.861, -80.663 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Wetzel

When
January 12, 5:00 PM EST to January 13, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Wetzel forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
39.605, -80.639 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in West Virginia in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in West Virginia, January 2018

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: 737974, 737975, 737977, 737978, 733203, 733204, 733205, 733206, 733207.