Dan Robinson
Embarked on a 6-hour, 170-mile flash flood chase today in southern West Virginia. I went after a cluster of severe storms on the VA/WV border around 3PM. The storms were nearly stationary for about an hour before rapidly pushing east. CG activity was frequent and spectacular but I managed to miss catching any of them. Glen Lyn Road in Mercer County near Athens was transformed into a huge waterfall by the overflowing Laurel Creek. Power was out in a large portion of the county due to wind damage, of which I encountered a great deal of.
The interesting thing about these severe storms is that they occurred in a climatologically unfavorable area for severe weather, the high-elevation spine of the central Appalachian mountains. Looking at storm reports and lightning strike data reveals a distinctive minima in this region, which sees less thunderstorm activity than just about anywhere else in the entire USA east of the Rockies. Wind damage was likely more pronounced due to the fact that trees and structures here are not subjected to severe winds on a regular basis (relatively speaking). It was very strange ending up in this area of the state on a chase.
The interesting thing about these severe storms is that they occurred in a climatologically unfavorable area for severe weather, the high-elevation spine of the central Appalachian mountains. Looking at storm reports and lightning strike data reveals a distinctive minima in this region, which sees less thunderstorm activity than just about anywhere else in the entire USA east of the Rockies. Wind damage was likely more pronounced due to the fact that trees and structures here are not subjected to severe winds on a regular basis (relatively speaking). It was very strange ending up in this area of the state on a chase.
