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On This Day in 1944: Deadliest West Virginia Tornado
June 22, 2021 at 08:44 AM EDT
By WeatherBug's Intern Meteorologist, Christopher Smith
On this day 77 years ago, the deadliest tornado in West Virginia state history struck the town of Shinnston, W. Va.
Shinnston, W.Va., is located about 35 miles southwest of Morgantown, in north-central West Virginia. The month of June brings severe weather farther north to states such as West Virginia, but the tornado on this day in 1944, was anything but ordinary.
Close to sunset around 8:30 p.m. local time on June 23, 1944, a dark funnel pushed southeastward toward Shinnston, W.Va., at approximately 40 mph. Many townsfolk at first believed the dark cloud was due to a large fire until the sight of spinning debris signaled otherwise.
The tornado struck the town as an F4 on the Fujita scale, packing winds between 207 and 260 mph. In Shinnston, W.Va., alone, at least 50 homes were destroyed and in Harrison County, the town in which Shinnston resides, 72 people were killed.
Unfortunately, the tornado would continue to tear southeastward after moving through Shinnston, W. Va., and ended up being on the ground for nearly 60 miles. The death toll surpassed 100 people and more than 340 homes were damaged or destroyed.
Other nearby areas such as southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland were also impacted by tornadoes on June 23, 1944, however, the damage was not as severe as that in West Virginia.
Sources: wvculture.org, weather.gov, NWS Pittsburgh
Shinnston, W.Va., is located about 35 miles southwest of Morgantown, in north-central West Virginia. The month of June brings severe weather farther north to states such as West Virginia, but the tornado on this day in 1944, was anything but ordinary.
Close to sunset around 8:30 p.m. local time on June 23, 1944, a dark funnel pushed southeastward toward Shinnston, W.Va., at approximately 40 mph. Many townsfolk at first believed the dark cloud was due to a large fire until the sight of spinning debris signaled otherwise.
The tornado struck the town as an F4 on the Fujita scale, packing winds between 207 and 260 mph. In Shinnston, W.Va., alone, at least 50 homes were destroyed and in Harrison County, the town in which Shinnston resides, 72 people were killed.
Unfortunately, the tornado would continue to tear southeastward after moving through Shinnston, W. Va., and ended up being on the ground for nearly 60 miles. The death toll surpassed 100 people and more than 340 homes were damaged or destroyed.
Other nearby areas such as southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland were also impacted by tornadoes on June 23, 1944, however, the damage was not as severe as that in West Virginia.
Sources: wvculture.org, weather.gov, NWS Pittsburgh