MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – MetroNews Accuweather advises residents in northern West Virginia and southern Pennsylvania to prepare for the possibility of severe weather through the end of the week.
Meteorologist Kerry Schwindenhammer said heavy rainfall is expected before a cold front enters the picture, bringing with it the chance for severe weather. Creeks, streams, and poor drainage areas have not had much time to recover from heavy weekend rains in some areas, according to Schwindenhammer.
“One of the biggest concerns, of course, is going to be the potential for gusty and damaging thunderstorms,” Schwindenhammer said. “Especially from a damaging wind standpoint, but also flash flooding as we head into the day tomorrow.”
Schwindenhammer expects the severe weather to be widely scattered and even bypass the Monongalia County area. But he said there’s a better than 50 percent chance severe weather will enter our region.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if some of the strongest storms evaded our area, but I wouldn’t want to rule something out as we head through the day; there is going to be a warm front in our area,” Scwindenhammer said. “So, I would put that chance at 50 to 60 percent that somebody could get a gusty thunderstorm.”
When the cold front arrives, Schwindenhammer said the rain will continue and temperatures will remain below normal through the beginning of next week.
“Temperatures will be on the chilly side Thursday and Friday,” Schwindenhammer said. “No better than the lower 40’s, so you might feel like you have to have a jacket and an umbrella.”
The final precipitation totals are expected to vary a great deal over the entire listening area.
“There could be a number of wide-ranging possibilities here, but I would be shocked if most people are in that 1/2-inch to 1-inch range and maybe locally up to 2 inches,” Schwindenhammer said.