Powerful, brief storm hits area
By ROGER ADKINSArticle Photos
PARKERSBURG - A brief but powerful storm knocked down trees and power lines Thursday afternoon.
The storm hit the area shortly before 4 p.m. and sent emergency responders scrambling to cover numerous calls involving fallen trees and power lines.
Ken Batty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said special weather statements were issued as a result of the storm system that moved over the area.
Batty said wind gusts were reported at 43 mph at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport at Williamstown.
"The strongest storms came out of Coolville and came across the Ohio River near Washington County. We had some reports of branches falling, that type of thing. When you get gusts into that range, that kind of stuff happens," Batty said.
Dave Neurohr, spokesman for Allegheny Power, said there were 14 customers without power in Parkersburg Thursday. Those were expected to be restored quickly, he said. Neurohr said 180 outages were reported in West Union.
Some outages were reported in Belpre, but emergency officials said service had been restored. Emergency dispatchers said the outages were likely the result of a tree that fell near 213 Walnut St. The tree blocked the road and tore down utility lines, dispatchers said.
Similar calls were reported across the area, said dispatchers with Wood County Central Telecommunications. Around 3:45 p.m. utility lines were reported down on West Virginia 68 near James Country Store. The power company fixed that problem, dispatchers said.
Around 3:53 p.m., a tree fell in front of a residence on Larkmead Road. The road was blocked temporarily while the Lubeck Volunteer Fire Department removed the tree.
Around 4 p.m., there was a report of lines down in front of a house in the 1500 block of Seventh Avenue in Parkersburg, dispatchers said. A tree fell on Summit Road off of West Virginia 14 near Vienna, causing power lines to catch fire. Vienna Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene.
A tree fell in the 1100 block of Juliana Street, causing the street to be blocked until the Parkersburg Fire Department could remove the tree.
Dispatchers reported 15-20 similar calls.
Batty said forecasts call for higher temperatures today with the chance of thunderstorms continuing.
"We're getting away from a lot of the hail producers and into the heavy rain, and sometimes that precipitation can drag down some winds with it. That was what you saw," Batty said.
Prior to the storm, the temperature approached 90 degrees. After the storm, the temperature had cooled by about 20 degrees, Batty said.
The heaviest rain actually bypassed Marietta and Parkersburg Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Batty said three to four inches of rain fell in the Columbus area.
John Sikora, meteorolgist, said a storm front will pass through the area Saturday, creating more chances for showers and thunderstorms. It should pass through Parkersburg by Sunday morning, he said.
"Friday is one of those days where you'll have the heating again, with some popup thunderstorms scattered around but nothing organized to cause any severe problems," he said Thursday.
