National Weather Service surveys tornado damage following Wednesday’s storm

FAIRHAVEN, W.Va. (WTRF) – Surveyors from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh have released preliminary damage survey results following the early morning tornado in Jefferson and Hancock Counties.

With estimated peak winds of 130 miles per hour and the path length being roughly 15 miles wide, thankfully there was only one reported injury.

The tornado warning first came in at 12:54am over Irondale and Hammondsville with immediate reports of damage within Jefferson County.

Just after 1am, the NWS confirmed a tornado just within Hancock County lines.

This storm continued moving east and demolished two houses with other structural damage in its path through Fairhaven, WV.

Surveyors from the NWS came to areas like Fairhaven and Irondale today to assess the damage, and better understand the magnitude of the storm.

We were able to speak with one meteorologist at the NWS who was actively tracking this storm when the warning was issued.

”Things that we look for are like how many trees are down, the snapage of the trees, what type of tree is it? Is it hardwood or a pine tree? Was the tree dead? The structures around that, like was it hitting a house opposed to a mobile home that’s more vulnerable to being tossed in the air? So, it’s working out those types of indications. This tornado particularly,  it stripped some bark which is actually a characteristic of a higher rated tornado. Usually they see that in the Plains states where that’s a damage indicator. We’re like, you know, that’s what kind of factors in to that higher scale.”

Shannon Hesseran – Meteorologist, National Weather Service Pittsburgh

Like she said, the Ohio Valley isn’t typically known for experiencing these types of tornados.

The last time a confirmed tornado moved through Jefferson County was October of 2021, and prior to today, there has never been a confirmed tornado within Hancock County.

To stay weather aware and prepared, have multiple ways to receive weather alerts like a NOAA weather radio, following the NWS on social media, and the StormTracker7 Weather Team.

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