Power Outage in Charles Town, WV

Jefferson County 911 center received numerous reports of downed trees and power lines across the county due to strong gradient wind gusts.

A power pole snapped as the result of a falling tree near the intersection of Charles Town Road and East Burr Boulevard.

A dozen power poles blew down on Middleway Pike just west of Charles Town. A tree and wires blew down on 4th Street in Charles Town. Two trees blew down on East Washington Street in Charles Town.

A tornado touched down in Ranson West Virginia in the community|along Robelei Drive just west of West Virginia Route 115/Mildred|Street. The southernmost homes in this community were affected|with minor siding and shingle damage. One homeowner with a|personal home anemometer measured an unofficial 68mph wind gust.||The last two properties, those closest to 115, had the most|substantial damage. One outdoor shed was blown from its|foundation, and another shed was shifted from its foundation. The|trailer section of a tractor trailer was pushed a few feet|laterally, and then pushed over onto Route 115. The trailer was|being used for storage. Leaf spatter was noted on the homes, and|insulation and cardboard was lofted into the power lines along the|road. The most substantial damage was from a west wind. However|one property had lawn furniture blown in the opposite direction.|Several large tree limbs were snapped in differing directions.||Two separate residents noted receiving the NWS Tornado Warning|over their cell phones before the tornado hit, allowing time to|seek safety in their homes. They also reported seeing the tornado|moving into the next properties across WV-115.||As the storm crossed WV-115, several large branches were snapped|off trees in front of Two Crows Antique Mall. While many branches|were thrown east, a large one was also thrown to the northwest.||The tornado then struck a warehouse at Universal Forest Products|and reached peak intensity. On this property it pushed over a|large warehouse building that was partially opened along its|sides. The main beams of the building were large timbers secured|to the ground with bolts. The roof was tin and sections of that|roof were carried a half a mile into an adjacent community. People|were in the building at the time, but fortunately the only injury|was a minor leg abrasion to one person. Another smaller warehouse|building was also destroyed. It also caused roof and siding|damage to at least two other buildings on this property.||The tornado weakened substantially as it traveled east from the|warehouses. Debris, but not significant tree damage was noted|along Foal Street. Some intermittent damage continued into the|new Fairfax Crossing community where some minor siding and shingle|damage was noted as well as a few small ornamental trees that|were downed. Some final pieces of tin roof were noted here as|well.||The tornado was witnessed to the south by someone in the nearby|Potomac Marketplace shopping center as it crossed WV Route 9. From|there it passed through mobile home communities along Grayrock|Road and Cambridge Drive causing a few large branches to be|snapped as well as some roofing damage to at least one mobile|home. The tornado lifted before reaching Flowing Acres Road.

A tornado touched down in Ranson West Virginia in the community|along Robelei Drive just west of West Virginia Route 115/Mildred|Street. The southernmost homes in this community were affected|with minor siding and shingle damage. One homeowner with a|personal home anemometer measured an unofficial 68mph wind gust.||The last two properties, those closest to 115, had the most|substantial damage. One outdoor shed was blown from its|foundation, and another shed was shifted from its foundation. The|trailer section of a tractor trailer was pushed a few feet|laterally, and then pushed over onto Route 115. The trailer was|being used for storage. Leaf spatter was noted on the homes, and|insulation and cardboard was lofted into the power lines along the|road. The most substantial damage was from a west wind. However|one property had lawn furniture blown in the opposite direction.|Several large tree limbs were snapped in differing directions.||Two separate residents noted receiving the NWS Tornado Warning|over their cell phones before the tornado hit, allowing time to|seek safety in their homes. They also reported seeing the tornado|moving into the next properties across WV-115.||As the storm crossed WV-115, several large branches were snapped|off trees in front of Two Crows Antique Mall. While many branches|were thrown east, a large one was also thrown to the northwest.||The tornado then struck a warehouse at Universal Forest Products|and reached peak intensity. On this property it pushed over a|large warehouse building that was partially opened along its|sides. The main beams of the building were large timbers secured|to the ground with bolts. The roof was tin and sections of that|roof were carried a half a mile into an adjacent community. People|were in the building at the time, but fortunately the only injury|was a minor leg abrasion to one person. Another smaller warehouse|building was also destroyed. It also caused roof and siding|damage to at least two other buildings on this property.||The tornado weakened substantially as it traveled east from the|warehouses. Debris, but not significant tree damage was noted|along Foal Street. Some intermittent damage continued into the|new Fairfax Crossing community where some minor siding and shingle|damage was noted as well as a few small ornamental trees that|were downed. Some final pieces of tin roof were noted here as|well.||The tornado was witnessed to the south by someone in the nearby|Potomac Marketplace shopping center as it crossed WV Route 9. From|there it passed through mobile home communities along Grayrock|Road and Cambridge Drive causing a few large branches to be|snapped as well as some roofing damage to at least one mobile|home. The tornado lifted before reaching Flowing Acres Road.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Shenandoah Junction, mainly along Daniels Road and Shenandoah Junction Road. Some trees were snapped.

Multiple trees and power lines blew down in the Harpers Ferry area.

A tree was blown down near the intersection of Oak Lee Drive and Jack Rabbit Lane. Power lines were also blown down in the 1500 block of Flowing Springs Road.

Wind gusts of up to 58 mph were estimated. There were also reports of downed trees and power lines.

A wind gust of 58 mph was reported near Bakerton. A roof was ripped off an autobody shop at the 18400 Block of Jefferson Davis Highway. The 911 Center reported around 80 reports of downed trees and power lines.

The National Weather Service in Baltimore MD/Washington DC has|confirmed a weak tornado near Charles Town in Jefferson County WV on|July 05 2017.||A small tornado touched down at the entrance to the Jefferson|Crossing Shopping Center on Flowing Springs Road just north of |U.S. 340. The tornado damaged the sign at the entrance.||The tornado crossed Flowing Springs Road and damaged the roofing |of three barns and the door to a fourth barn located at Hollywood|Casino at Charles Town Races. One barn lost a section of roof|completely, leaving seven stalls exposed. Debris from the roof of|one barn was thrown into power lines, snapping a telephone pole.|Fencing was also damaged by debris from the roof. Projectile |impacts were also noted in nearby barn roofs from two- by-four |pieces of wood that were lofted by the tornado.||The tornado lifted as it crossed East Fifth Avenue near the|vehicle entrance to the barn area.||The tornado was captured on security camera footage at the|Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The footage showed|sections of barn roof being lifted and spun into the air.||Velocity data from the FAA Terminal Doppler Radar located near|Leesburg, VA that serves Washington Dulles International Airport |corroborated these impacts with a brief, weak shear signature |from 2014 to 2015 UTC.

There was a tree knocked down onto power lines.

A tree was knocked down onto power lines at the 15000 block of Leetown Road.

Snowfall totaled up to 28.0 inches near Rippon. Snowfall reports between 25 and 27 inches were received across the rest of the county.||A local newspaper reported power outages across Jefferson County.

Jefferson County Emergency Management as well as trained spotters reported downed trees and power lines across the county. Up to three tenths of an inch of ice was measured in Shepherdstown.

Tree downed into a house. Powerlines downed. Trees blocking roads, scattered throughout the county.

A large low pressure system along with a strong cold front moved across the region on Thanksgiving Day. The system caused a prolonged period of strong winds in many parts of the region. Widespread power outages were reported on Thanksgiving afternoon in the Shepherdstown, WV area. Nearly 150 residents lost power, mostly in the Deer Mountain Estates area. Martinsburg Airport, which is nearby, reported a wind gust of 37 knots (43 mph).

Trees and power lines were downed.

Power lines were downed.

Trees and power lines were downed.

High winds pushed a car into a power pole.

A strong cold front moved through the Mid Atlantic states June 10th afternoon and evening. Cooler and drier air behind the front clashed with very warm and moist air ahead of it, resulting in scattered to numerous strong to severe thunderstorms. Storms that became severe brought down trees and power lines across the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Large hail was also observed, including golf ball-sized hail at Wardensville in Hardy County.

A cold front moved south across the Mid Atlantic on May 31st. Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of the cold front. Several of these storms became severe, producing damaging winds that downed trees and power lines in portions of the eastern pan handle of West Virginia.

A hot and humid air mass developed over the Mid Atlantic ahead of a strong cold front on August 25th. Showers and thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon as the cold front approached the region. Some of these storms became severe, producing large hail and damaging winds that downed trees and power lines.

A Nor'Easter impacted the Mid Atlantic region on April 15th and 16th. Low pressure off the southeastern coast moved north along Delmarva. Heavy rain spread north across the region early April 15th, causing flooding by the afternoon and evening. As the low pressure area pushed north and intensified, colder air advanced from the northwest. This allowed rain to change to snow along the upslope region of the Allegheny Front and Potomac Highlands. Winds also increased in the wake of the low, downing trees and power lines across the eastern pan handle.

An upper level disturbance in conjunction with a moist and unstable summertime airmass contributed to severe thunderstorm activity on July 12. The most intense damage from the thunderstorms occurred in the western suburbs of Washington DC, such as Fairfax and Warrenton, VA. About 7200 customers were without power during the brunt of this severe weather event in the Washington Metropolitan Area. A few reports of damages were also received from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

An area of low pressure brought freezing rain and sleet to West Virginia. One third to one inch of ice accumulated inEastern West Virginia on roads and power lines. This led to school closures, some automobile accidents, and scattered power outages.

A thunderstorm that moved through during the early afternoon of the 9th produced an F0 tornado in southeast Jefferson County. The twister touched down near Summit Point and moved southeast on the ground for 4 miles before lifting near Rippon. Winds from the tornado estimated up to 70 MPH downed several trees and a handful of power lines along its path. Near Summit Point, an outbuilding was damaged. Siding was also removed from a house. Ten to twenty trees were downed onto Leetown Road about ½ mile south of Summit Point. Trees and power lines were also downed onto Darke Lane West near Rippon.

Showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and high winds moved through the Eastern Panhandle during the afternoon and evening of the 12th. In Hardy County, trees were downed in Moorefield. In Hampshire County, heavy downpours caused water to overflow onto Green Spring Bridge in Green Spring. A motorists got stuck in the flood waters and had to be rescued from the roof of her car. In Jefferson County, trees and power lines were downed in Charles Town. One tree was felled onto a car on Samuel Street. Job Corps Road was closed for an hour after a downed power line caused trees along the road to smoulder. In addition, a home in the county caught fire after being struck by lightning.

Thunderstorms with damaging winds moved through the Eastern Panhandle between 5 and 7 PM EDT. In Hampshire County, a tree was downed onto a power line in Levels. In Morgan County, tree branches were downed along Route 522. In Jefferson County, trees were downed in Shepherdstown and along Route 230.

A cold front moved across the region during the early evening hours of the 9th. Thunderstorms that developed ahead and along the front produced winds in excess of 55 MPH and frequent lighting. In Grant County, several trees and power lines were downed. Roads were blocked by downed trees in Petersburg. A wind gust of at least 55 MPH was recorded at the Grant County Airport. In Mineral County, trees were downed in New Creek and Keyser. In Pendleton County, trees were downed onto utility lines and a camper near Route 220 South and Snowy Mountain Road. Trees were downed onto power poles in the Kline and Keyser Gap areas. Downed trees blocked roads in Franklin, Route 33 to Mitchell Mountain, and roads on Old Fork Mountain. In Hardy County, twenty large trees were downed across the southern quarter of the county. Winds over 50 MPH were estimated in Moorefield. In Hampshire County, ten trees were downed in Augusta. In Jefferson County, trees were downed in Harpers Ferry.

Very warm and humid conditions resulted in the development of thunderstorms across the Eastern Panhandle during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 13th. Two separate thunderstorms that moved across Jefferson County produced winds in excess of 55 MPH. The first storm around 3:00 PM EDT downed trees near Rippon. The 2nd storm resulted in more widespread damage between 5:30 PM and 6:15 PM EDT. Several trees were downed between Kearneysville and Charles Town and near Bakerton. High winds pushed a car into a power pole near Bardane, injuring the driver. A one mile stretch of Route 9 near Fox Glen and Leetown was closed by fallen trees. Five telephone poles were snapped by high winds near Tuscawilla Hills. In addition, quarter to half dollar sized hail fell near Summit Point.