Heavy Snow and Gusty Winds in the West Virginia Mountains to Start the New Year

A storm system brings showers and a few thunderstorms today, followed by gusty winds and colder air to start the new year. Snow and gusty winds are expected for the northern WV mountains from late tonight into Wednesday night with several inches of snow accompanied by winds gusting as high as 55 mph. Outside of the mountains, flurries and snow showers will bring little if any accumulation. Read More >

Pictured (left to right): Sheriff Ryan Cain, NWS Charleston Warning Coordination Meteorologist Tony Edwards, Commissioner William Wellman, Commissioner Mark Fout, Commissioner Tim Eberts, EMA Director William Faught, Ohio EMA Emergency Management Specialist Brody Davis

Vinton County was designated as the 35th StormReady® County in Ohio during a ceremony at the Vinton County Courthouse in McArthur, Ohio, on Tuesday December 21, 2021.

The StormReady® program is designed to help protect citizens from the dangers of all types of severe weather by arming America's communities with the communication and safety skills need to save lives and property before, during and after a hazardous weather event. In order to qualify as StormReady a county must:

Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
Have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
Monitor weather conditions locally
Promote the importance of public readiness through community outreach
Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

Officials from the National Weather Service in Charleston, WV worked closely with Vinton County Emergency Management Director William Faught during the certification process. NWS Charleston, WV Warning Coordination Meteorologist Tony Edwards stated: "One awesome byproduct of the StormReady certification process is the close working relationship that develops between the NWS and the Emergency Management officials in counties that work to achieve the certification. It's this close relationship and the extra steps taken to ensure proper receipt and communication of NWS warning information that will pay dividends in future hazardous weather events."

Several new weather spotters were also trained in the county as part of the certification process. These spotters, who serve as the eyes and ears of the National Weather Service by relaying reports of hazardous weather, will be a benefit to the county and the National Weather Service during future hazardous weather events.

From StormReady at the city/county level to SKYWARN Weather Spotters and CoCoRaHS precipitation observers at the individual level, NWS Charleston, WV offers several programs to help make our region more Weather-Ready. Find out more about these programs at www.weather.gov/rlx/partnerships.