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State residents could see a drop in temperatures for the first half of May

By KIRSTEN RENEAU

The Exponent Telegram

CLARKSBURG, W.Va.  — A sudden shift in the weather can be expected over the next few days as residents deal with the aftermath of storms that rumbled through the area Monday.

A crew works to clear a downed tree Monday on Davisson Run Road in Harrison County.
(Photo by Kirsten Reneau)

A Harrison County 911 supervisor said she thought the damage was average for a storm typical of this time of year, but at one point a tornado watch had been issued.

“It’s just a normal storm, and it passed through quickly,” she said.

She added that because the storm hit early in the afternoon, it was particularly rough on first responders.

“It does tax the local fire departments, as the majority are volunteers,” she said. “Especially about the time it hit, most people were still working.”

The North Central West Virginia area saw several power outages, according to the First Energy Storm Center associated with Mon Power.

Power outages included around 8.23 percent of Harrison County, 16.45 percent of Lewis County, 4.81 percent of Upshur County, 3.97 percent of Taylor County, 7.68 percent of Doddridge County and 2.84 percent of Barbour County.

A Lewis County 911 supervisor said there were numerous reports of fallen trees throughout the county.

“There was nothing major,” she said. “We did have a guy call in who said the power was out throughout Walkersville.”

A Doddridge County 911 supervisor stated several trees were down throughout the county.

Barbour County senior dispatcher Cody Curkendall said several trees were reported down, as well as a few car wrecks due to the storm.

“One driver alleged he couldn’t see and hit a power line,” Curkendall said. “We normally get a lot of trees down for what the weather was.”

The temperature dropped 15 degrees in an hour and a half during Monday’s storm, and AccuWeather Meteorologist John Gresiak said this will be the new norm over the next few days.

“It will be quite a bit cooler this week and not just for the next few days, but for the entire first half of the month of May,” Gresiak said. “Today might be the warmest temperature we’ll see until the middle of the month.”

He said most of the storm had already passed by around 5 p.m.

Severe weather could be on the horizon again for Thursday and Friday evenings.

“At the very least, it will rain, but there could be some storms,” Gresiak said. “I wouldn’t be surprised in the next week, with this cooler weather pattern in the mountains, maybe not in town, but in the mountains, that some snowflakes could be seen.”

This could occur because of a dip in the jetstream over the Northeast part of the country.

“A lot of cool air is coming down from Canada,” Gresiak said. “That’s what we’ll be seeing, several waves of abnormally cool air in the next few weeks.”

He warns residents should keep an eye out for the next couple of days.

“Stay aware of the situations, and keep a radio or TV or whatever you use to get your weather information on,” Gresiak said.

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