The state’s largest Kentucky Coffee tree, located at Campbellton Farm off Tabler Station Road, was one of the many trees uprooted in Sunday’s storm.
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Another fast-moving storm ripped through Eastern Panhandle on Sunday night, creating an issue on roadways and thousands without power.
“There were a line of storms and then reports of rotation, but have haven’t determined yet if it was a tornado,” said an official from the National Weather Service in regard to a tornado warning that was issued for the Eastern Panhandle.
The official said surveys are still being collected from the area to verify whether a tornado formed.
According to the official, the Eastern Regional Airport reported wind gusts of 58 miles per hour.
Some areas that were hit the hardest include Hedgesville, Tabler Station Road, Buck Hill Road and Apple Harvest Drive, said the official.
The storm also uprooted the state’s largest Kentucky Coffee tree, also known as the American Mahogany tree. The tree, which was discovered by Herb Petticord at the West Virginia Division of Forestry, was 81 feet tall and 178 inches in circumference.
Mary Ann Rogers, an aunt of the property’s owners, said during a phone interview that the tree fell down and blocked the driveway. The tree was located off Tabler Station Road at Campbellton Farm.
The farm was also damaged by many other trees on the property, and a third of the farm’s barn roof was destroyed, she said.
Geoffrey Miller and owner Kristi Frye began working on Monday afternoon to clear the many trees down across the farm.
Frye said that they although they didn’t hear the tree come down, they believe it was due to a high gust of wind around 8 p.m.
Rogers said that in addition to the farm, she was shocked by the number of trees down along Arden Nollville Road.
“When I got to Arden in terms of trees, I could not believe what I saw. It was just a disaster,” she said…