Published: June 04, 2008 10:51 pm         

Area dodges severe storm; heat coming

Severe storms blamed for at least one death roared across West Virginia Wednesday, causing Gov. Joe Manchin to declare a state of emergency in 15 counties.

But despite being under a tornado threat all day, southern West Virginia counties were largely spared from Mother Nature’s wrath, with only one county reporting unconfirmed funnel cloud sightings. Meteorologists warn, though, that extreme heat is coming — a dramatic change compared to what the region has become accustomed.

“Right now, we’ve got a lot of moisture, and the humidity has been rising since the weekend,” Eric Seymour, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said Wednesday afternoon. “We have some very strong winds, some low-level moisture, and that can produce thunderstorms.”

The last available tornado watch for southern West Virginia was set to expire at 1 a.m. today, but tornado watches had already been extended at least three times Wednesday.

High winds knocked down trees and power lines in the Birch River area, according to the Nicholas County Emergency Operations Center. A secondary county road, 19/1, was closed. Power outages were reported county-wide, along with nickel-sized hail.

Callers in the Birch River and Dille areas said they saw funnel clouds, but the EOC emphasized those had not been confirmed by the National Weather Service. No property damage or injuries were reported.

But southern West Virginians elsewhere seemingly basked in the sunshine, wondering why forecasters were making a fuss.

Around 6 p.m., the weather service issued a tornado warning for northern Greenbrier County. But county emergency dispatchers didn’t hear a peep.

“The weather service called and told me we were supposed to get a storm. I told him the sun was shining here,” a dispatcher said. “I think we got lucky.”

In Beckley, residents took in the sunshine and even enjoyed time in swimming pools.

“So far, so good,” Beckley Police Capt. Tomi Peck said Wednesday evening. “It’s just a little windy. There’s nothing — just a little windy and a little cloudy. The sun is still shining.

“That’s just the way we like it.”

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West Virginians north of the Beckley area were definitely not as fortunate. Manchin declared a state of emergency after severe storms caused flooding and mudslides that closed numerous roads. At least 47,000 people lost power.

The emergency declaration covered Barbour, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur and Wetzel counties.

The body of a man who was swept away while trying to drive his truck through high water in Marion County was recovered Wednesday morning. Sheriff Junior Slaughter identified the victim as Shane Efaw, 20, of White Hall.

Seymour said Wednesday’s storms were mainly concentrated in the “Interstate 64” corridor between Huntington and Charleston and areas to its north. Most of the storms had moved in a straight line from the west.

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While southern West Virginia may have been largely spared from Wednesday’s storms, meteorologists warn the area will not dodge today’s drastic warm-up.

David Marsalek, another NWS meteorologist from Charleston, said the region will change into a summer pattern, with more hot and humid air from the south moving into the eastern third of the country. High temperatures through next Tuesday are forecast to hover near the 90-degree mark.

In May, high temperatures in Beckley rarely rose above 70 degrees.

“This looks to be a toasty regime,” Marsalek said. “It’s not uncommon to be cooler in the late spring months. But this is going from below-normal temperatures to above-normal temperatures. With this dramatic shift, this may seem more extreme.”

Because so many people may not be used to such heat, Marsalek advised anyone going outdoors to do activities slowly and easily, while drinking plenty of water.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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