Severe thunderstorms slam the Northeast Ohio Valley — historic floods in West Virginia and tornadoes in Ohio and New Jersey

When the sky opened up on Saturday, most of us in the Ohio Valley never imagined the water would climb higher than a two‑story house. In Buckhannon, West Virginia – a modest town of about 5,000 nestled roughly 85 miles northeast of Charleston – the Sand Run stream surged to a staggering 10.6 feet, shattering the old high‑water mark of 8.3 feet set back in 1985.

Governor Patrick Morrisey, who already declared a state of emergency for every one of the 55 West Virginia counties on Tuesday, swiftly ordered additional resources as the river kept rising. By early Sunday, more than a hundred residents had been pulled from their homes, aided by a fleet of helicopters and the tireless volunteers of the Bruceton‑Brandonville Volunteer Fire Department, led by Lt. Stephen Lindsey.

It wasn’t just the water that caused havoc. In Clermont County, Ohio, a sudden funnel touched down, sending a local resident, Denise Davis, scrambling for shelter while a siren wailed across the neighborhood. Meanwhile, northern New Jersey reported a series of tornadoes that ripped through wooded areas, adding another layer of chaos to an already bad night.

Roads quickly turned into rivers. A roughly ten‑mile stretch of I‑79 between Weston and Jane Lew was closed, and several county highways were washed out, hampering the efforts of first‑responders. Power outages stretched across the region: about 13,000 customers in central West Virginia and over 100,000 across Kentucky, Ohio, and New Jersey lost electricity, though most had it back by mid‑day Wednesday.

Local officials urged caution. Mayor Robbie Skinner of Buckhannon asked residents to stay put unless a rescue was coordinated, warning that the continued rain – more than five inches in six hours in Upshur County – could trigger additional flash‑flood emergencies. Shelters, like the one set up at Lewis County High School, opened their doors for those forced to flee their homes.

As of early Wednesday, no injuries or fatalities had been reported, but authorities stressed that the situation remained fluid. Damage assessments were delayed by washed‑out roads and spotty communications, so the full picture will likely emerge in the days ahead.