NWS Charleston Website FAQ

Before emailing us (bottom of page),, please see if your question is answered below!

Is that severe storm going to hit me in the next hour?
When will the river crest pass by my house?

The webmaster email address is not monitored by on-duty meteorologists 24/7.  This address is meant for website-related problems, as well as questions or requests that do no require a quick turnaround time.  It is not meant as a forum to distribute severe weather information.  The best places to receive that information are through NOAA Weather Radio, our website, or local TV and radio stations.

You may find our Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service page to be useful for river-related questions and concerns.

I am looking for weather data for this day or these days. Can you help?

We already have a wealth of climate information on our site...available from our climate page. At our main climate locations (Charleston, Huntington, Elkins, Beckley, Parkersburg) we have at least 5 years worth of data available in a variety of formats...and we even have data going as far back as 1990 for these sites available from the "Local Data/Records" tab on the page. The "NOWData" tab has some basic climate information for a variety of locations across our forecast area. Also, check out the "Local Data/Records" tab for information such as daily normals and records tables, our "Top Ten" lists, and more.

If you have needs that are not filled by these pages, we may be able to fulfill simple requests for data. If your needs are more complex, your best bet is to head over to the National Climatic Data Center...they have an amazing wealth of information available! They are also the place to go if you require certified climate records for purposes such as court cases. The Charleston office cannot legally provide such records, as all of our data is considered preliminary in nature.

I am looking for information on hail, high winds, tornadoes, or flooding for a particular storm.

Check out our preliminary storm data on the this page! Here you will find narrative descriptions of severe weather reports received by our office for our area of responsibility. The records on our site go back to January 2001, and are generally available with a 2 to 3 month lag time. Like our climate data, this information is considered preliminary in nature. For information not given, or for certified storm records, NCDC has a publication called Storm Data that will assist you.

Also, if you need information prior to 2001, check out this page from the NCDC.

What is Skywarn? How can I join? When/where will Skywarn training be held?

These questions are answered on our Skywarn FAQ page.

What will the weather be like one month/six months/a year from now? Will there be rain on my wedding day next year?

Generally, the Charleston office only issues forecasts up to a week in advance. The Climate Prediction Center is responsible for issuing outlooks beyond that timeframe. Such long-range forecasts only attempt to predict how weather trends will differ from normal values. The state of forecasting science does not permit us to make any sort of reasonable prediction of whether or not it will rain, or what the temperature will be, on a given day more than a week or so in advance.

Could I or my group tour the office?

Tours of the office are usually given during normal business hours on Monday-Friday, and are usually scheduled in advance. This is to assure that sufficient staff are present in order to give a proper introduction and explanation of our services. School groups usually should be at or above 6th grade, although accomodations can be made for younger groups if weather is being studied in class. Due to increased security precautions, there may be other requirements as well. Call the office at 304-746-0180 during normal weekday business hours for more information.

Could a representative from your office give a talk at my meeting or class?

Certainly! We are always willing to teach and inform groups about what we do and how to live with the weather in our area. Call us at 304-746-0180 during weekday business hours to learn more and to schedule a presentation.

My question is not answered here!

Then go ahead and email us at rlx.webmaster@noaa.gov ...we'll try to help!