By Stephen Smoot
Harrison County has seen dangerous and severe amounts of rain in the past month and will see the full onslaught of summer heat over the next several days.
Much of West Virginia through May continued to see residual drought conditions, as defined by the federal website drought.gov. The intensity of last year’s drought meant that those conditions persisted through most of the second wettest May in the 131 years of keeping records, an average of 4.52 inches higher than normal. To date, 2025 has served as the 34th wettest year of that 131 year span.
Over the past 30 days, the western tier of Harrison County and parts of the area east of Interstate 79 have seen between 150 and 200 percent of the normal average rainfall.
A corridor roughly following the West Fork River and the interstate in the central section, including Clarksburg, witnessed between 200 and 300 percent of the average rainfall amounts seen between 1991 and 2021.
That area of higher rainfall also occurred in the eastern half of flood ravaged Marion County.
Over the past 30 days, temperatures in Harrison County have ranged between one and three degrees cooler than normal. Three days before this edition sees publication, that will change radically as the full force of summer heat quickly moves in.
The National Weather Service placed an Extreme Heat Warning on Shinnston until Wednesday. That warning stretches from Harrison County in the north to as far south as Boone County and as far west as the Huntington/Ashland/Portsmouth area. Temperatures will range in the mid 90s through Thursday, then drop slightly to the low 90s starting on Friday. Starting Wednesday will be a 30 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms, rising to 40 percent every day through at least Saturday.
Later in the week, the NWS may issue guidance on heat conditions for those days as well.
The National Weather Service issues three kinds of heat alerts. Each one marks a specific level of danger. An “Extreme Heat Watch” urges those in the affected area to “be prepared.” It states that people should “reschedule outdoor activities in the coming days. Make sure that children, the elderly, and pets have a place to cool off during the heat.
Second, a heat advisory “is issued for dangerous heat conditions that are not expected to reach warning criteria.” It instructs that “if you must be outside, be sure to drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks in the shade.”
The onset of “extremely dangerous heat conditions” will trigger an “Extreme Heat Warning,” as Harrison County will see at least through Wednesday. It urges all to not perform work or other tasks outside, but to “drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks” if that cannot be avoided.
It also says “stay indoors in an air conditioned space as much as possible, including overnight.” Also vital, “check on family and neighbors.”
