It is the deadliest tornado in WV history and the 15th deadliest tornado in US history: The Shinnston F4 Tornado of June 23, 1944. It was a part of a historic outbreak that hit portions of the Appalachian Mountains. Check out this premium summary by becoming a member!
On June 23, 1944, a historic tornado outbreak occurred across the Appalachians. This outbreak featured the deadliest tornado to ever strike Pennsylvania and the deadliest ever recorded in West Virginia.
Just two days after a tornado outbreak affected Pennsylvania and New York, another tornado outbreak ripped through the East Coast. Pennsylvania was the hardest hit. This summary documents 20 tornadoes from this event. 17 of which were in PA.
15 tornadoes are recorded in the SPC Database for September 15, 2010. The strongest was an EF3 that made a trek from Meigs County, OH near Reedsville over the Ohio River into Wood County, WV near Belleville. The estimated maximum winds were estimated between 150-160 mph. Per the Storm Data entry, in Meigs County, 22 structures were destroyed or had major damage.
This tornado is considered “the most devastating to strike West Virginia since 1944.” That was written in the July 1980 Storm Data Publication by the NWS.
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