957
NOUS41 KRLX 260103
PNSRLX
OHZ076-WVZ010-011-019-020-040-261315-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
903 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2026
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR THE 07/21/26 TORNADO EVENT
TORNADO #1 WASHINGTON COUNTY, OH TO PLEASANTS COUNTY, WV
RATING: EF2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 120 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 12.19 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 600 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 07/21/2026
START TIME: 04:15 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 3 NNE MARIETTA / WASHINGTON COUNTY / OH
START LAT/LON: 39.4566 / -81.4084
END DATE: 07/21/2026
END TIME: 04:30 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 2 SSW ST. MARYS / PLEASANTS COUNTY / WV
END LAT/LON: 39.3771 / -81.2115
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE TORNADO BEGAN BETWEEN HARTLINE RD AND ZIMMER RD IN THE CAYWOOD
COMMUNITY, THEN TRACKED SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE HILLS COMMUNITY,
KNOCKING OVER A SILO AND DAMAGING SEVERAL HOMES. THE MOST INTENSE
DAMAGE AND EF2 RATING OCCURRED ALONG STATE ROUTE 26 NEAR THE
INTERSECTION WITH TOWNSHIP ROAD 635, WHERE A ROUGHLY 600 YARD LONG
BY 400 YARD WIDE PATCH OF PINE TREES WAS COMPLETELY MOWED DOWN
WITH EVERY TRUNK SNAPPED SEVERAL FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE
TORNADO WEAKENED WHILE STILL CAUSING SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE AS IT
CONTINUED TO THE SOUTHEAST, CROSSING THE OHIO RIVER ON THE WEST
SIDE AT NEWELL RUN AND ENTERING WEST VIRGINIA AT BELMONT DAMAGING
AND ROLLING SEVERAL CAMPER TRAILERS AT RIVERVIEW ESTATES. THE
TORNADO THEN CONTINUED SOUTHEAST UP A RIDGE THEN SKIPPED THROUGH
THE GREEN RUN NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE DISSIPATING.
THANKS TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY, OH SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, WHO PROVIDED EXCELLENT VIDEO OF THE
TRACK TAKEN BY THEIR DRONE. ALSO, THANKS TO TYLER COUNTY, WV
SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR ALSO PROVIDING DRONE IMAGERY AND AN AERIAL
SURVEY OF THE TRACK IN WEST VIRGINIA.
TORNADO #2 WASHINGTON COUNTY, OH TO PLEASANTS COUNTY, WV
RATING: EF2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 130 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 11.28 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 550 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 07/21/2026
START TIME: 04:25 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 2 NNW BELMONT / WASHINGTON COUNTY / WV
START LAT/LON: 39.4088 / -81.266
END DATE: 07/21/2026
END TIME: 04:46 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 5 NNW ELLENBORO / PLEASANTS COUNTY / WV
END LAT/LON: 39.3339 / -81.0802
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE TORNADO BEGAN BETWEEN NEWELLS RUN RD AND KERR RUN RD, WHERE
NUMEROUS TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SNAPPED BEFORE TRACKING
SOUTHEAST THROUGH NEWPORT, WHERE SOME MINOR DAMAGE OCCURRED TO
HOMES AND SOME SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED. THE TORNADO THEN
STRENGTHENED AS IT CROSSED THE OHIO RIVER AND ENTERED THE WEST
VIRGINIA SIDE AT THE SAINT MARYS BRIDGE. A LARGE SIGN WAS LEFT
BARELY HANGING OFF THE SIDE OF THE BRIDGE STRUCTURE AND A LARGE
PATCH OF TREES AROUND THE BRIDGE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. FROM
THERE, THE TORNADO TRACKED SOUTHEAST UP THE HILLSIDE REACHING
PEAK INTENSITY AND A HIGH END EF2 RATING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF
GREENS RUN RD AND RT 16 WHERE SEVERAL HOMES SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT
DAMAGE, A ROUGHLY 600 YARD WIDE BY 300 YARD LONG PATCH OF
HARDWOOD TREES WAS LEVELED, AND A LARGE COMMUNICATIONS TOWER WAS
BUCKLED OVER. THE TORNADO PATH THEN BECAME INTERMITTENT AS IT
SKIPPED BASICALLY ALONG RT 16 TO THE CLOVERDALE COMMUNITY, THEN
ENDED JUST BEFORE THE RITCHIE COUNTY LINE NEAR SECKMAN RIDGE RD.
THANKS TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY, OH SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, WHO PROVIDED EXCELLENT VIDEO OF THE
TRACK TAKEN BY THEIR DRONE. ALSO, THANKS TO TYLER COUNTY, WV
SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR ALSO PROVIDING DRONE IMAGERY AND AN AERIAL
SURVEY OF THE TRACK IN WEST VIRGINIA.
.TORNADO #3 WASHINGTON COUNTY, OH - PLEASANTS COUNTY, WV - TYLER
COUNTY, WV - RITCHIE COUNTY, WV - DODDRIDGE COUNTY, WV...
RATING: EF1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 110 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 24.16 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 300 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 07/21/2026
START TIME: 04:31 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 4 N ST. MARYS / WASHINGTON COUNTY / WV
START LAT/LON: 39.4632 / -81.176
END DATE: 07/21/2026
END TIME: 04:59 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 3 SSW WEST UNION / DODDRIDGE COUNTY / WV
END LAT/LON: 39.2662 / -80.8087
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THE TORNADO BEGAN IN THE WAYNE NATIONAL FOREST NEAR ARCHERS FORK
RD, THEN TRACKED SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE LEITH COMMUNITY, CROSSING
THE OHIO RIVER AND ENTERING WEST VIRGINIA NEAR RAVEN ROCK. THE
TORNADO THEN TOOK A NON-CONTINUOUS PATH IN A SOUTHEASTERLY
DIRECTION DOING SPORADIC TREE DAMAGE THROUGH NORTHERN PLEASANTS
COUNTY, SOUTHERN TYLER COUNTY, NORTHERN RITCHIE COUNTY, BEFORE
LIFTING FINALLY NEAR ARNOLDS CREEK RD IN DODDRIDGE COUNTY.
THE TORNADO TRACK BETWEEN RAVEN ROCK AND DAMAGE FOUND NEAR THE
TYLER/RITCHIE COUNTY LINE IS UNCERTAIN AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
PRELIMINARY DUE TO NO DAMAGE POINTS CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED IN THAT
STRETCH. WE ASSUME THAT DUE TO A STRONG AND PERSISTENT CIRCULATION
NOTED ON RADAR THAT MORE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN THIS SECTION OF THE
PATH. HOWEVER, LATER SURVEYS MAY REVEAL OTHERWISE.
THANKS TO TYLER COUNTY, WV SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR PROVIDING AN
AERIAL SURVEY OF MUCH OF THE TRACK.
TORNADO #4 BARBOUR COUNTY, WV
RATING: EF0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 85 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.34 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 110 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 07/21/2026
START TIME: 05:38 PM EDT
START LOCATION: 3 N PHILIPPI / BARBOUR COUNTY / WV
START LAT/LON: 39.2001 / -80.0379
END DATE: 07/21/2026
END TIME: 05:39 PM EDT
END LOCATION: 3 N PHILIPPI / BARBOUR COUNTY / WV
END LAT/LON: 39.1965 / -80.0336
SURVEY SUMMARY:
AN EF0 TORNADO WITH MAXIMUM ESTIMATED WINDS OF UP TO 85 MPH BEGAN
AROUND 5:38 PM JUST SOUTH OF TAYLORS DRAIN ROAD ALONG A RAILROAD
TRACK. IT THEN TRAVELED SOUTHEAST ALONG THE RAILROAD TRACK BEFORE
LIFTING AT APPROXIMATELY 5:39 PM. THE LENGTH OF THE TRACK IS
ESTIMATED AT 0.35 MILES, BUT COULD BE LONGER GIVEN LIMITED ROAD
ACCESS IN THE AREA. MULTIPLE HARDWOOD TREES WERE EITHER UPROOTED
OR SNAPPED ALONG THE TRACK OF THE TORNADO. SOME OF THE HARDWOOD
TREES THAT WERE UPROOTED WERE IN EXCESS OF 18 INCHES IN DIAMETER.
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BARBOUR COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS DAMAGE SURVEY.
HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT:
WASHINGTON COUNTY NOW HAS 16 DOCUMENTED TORNADOES. THE LAST
TORNADO TO OCCUR IN THE COUNTY WAS RATED EF0 ON 7/29/2021.
PLEASANTS COUNTY NOW HAS 5 DOCUMENTED TORNADOES. THE LAST TORNADO
TO OCCUR IN THE COUNTY WAS RATED EF1 ON 7/27/2014.
RITCHIE COUNTY NOW HAS 3 DOCUMENTED TORNADOES. THE LAST TORNADO TO
OCCUR IN THE COUNTY WAS RATED EF1 ON 7/27/2014.
TYLER COUNTY NOW HAS 3 DOCUMENTED TORNADOES. THE LAST TORNADO TO
OCCUR IN THE COUNTY WAS RATED EF1 ON 5/23/2000.
DODDRIDGE COUNTY NOW HAS 4 DOCUMENTED TORNADOES. THE LAST TORNADO
TO OCCUR IN THE COUNTY WAS RATED F1 ON 10/4/1986.
BARBOUR COUNTY NOW HAS 5 DOCUMENTED TORNADOES. THE LAST TORNADO
TO OCCUR IN THE COUNTY WAS RATED EF1 ON 6/22/2026. THAT TORNADO
OCCURRED JUST NORTHEAST OF MOATSVILLE, OR APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES
EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE TRACK OF THIS TORNADO.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0.....65 TO 85 MPH
EF1.....86 TO 110 MPH
EF2.....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3.....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4.....166 TO 200 MPH
EF5.....>200 MPH
NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.
GW/NW/ABE
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