BARBOUR COUNTY, W.Va. –Rainy conditions in the Mountain State are expected to subside after six days of continuous rainfall across West Virginia.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch and a flood watch for most of the state as rain continued moving across the region.

NWS Meteorologist Tom Mazza said north-central West Virginia counties—including Wirt, Calhoun, Lewis, and Barbour—were hit hardest by rain showers throughout the day.

“That whole stretch just south of Clarksburg, Clarksburg got a little flooding too, but that area did get hit with the flooding, along with tree damage, so severe thunderstorms there as well,” Mazza said.

In Jane Lew, located in Lewis County, West Virginia, the town hall posted on Facebook that the town park will be closed due to flooding. Officials said it will remain closed until they can assess the damage caused by the flooding.

In Harrison County, the town of Lost Creek also experienced heavy rain and flooding.

Barbour County Emergency Manager Corey Brandon said they received several rounds of heavy rain throughout the day Wednesday.

He said this caused flooding in areas that typically experience flooding during heavy rain events.

“Which resulted in a lot of water getting out of the ditch line, and also our streams and creeks getting out of their ditch lines and causing a lot of problems for a lot of low-lying areas,” Brandon said.

He said they saw a lot of rain in the Clemtown, Moatsville, and Nestorville areas, which they hadn’t seen since 2018.

Brandon said they also had to relocate an elderly woman because rising water was nearly blocking the only access road to her home.

“She had some mobility issues, so the fire department requested that we get her out of the house just in case something were to happen overnight and weren’t able to get to her after that point,” he said.

Brandon said emergency services and the Philippi Fire Department were able to reach her and relocate her to a hotel until the water recedes.

He said that while crews were assisting the woman at her home, areas they typically monitor were beginning to recede.

Brandon said officials are now monitoring local rivers to ensure they do not rise out of their banks.

“Now were anxiously awaiting for the streams and creeks to subside and now we’ll be watching the local rivers to make sure that they stay in their banks as well,” he said.

said that after the rain seen since last Thursday, the region should experience a brief dry spell.

“Leftover showers in the morning (Thursday), clouds and fog, with a gradual clearing during the day Thursday, then it looks like we have several days of nice weather, seasonal spring weather to allow us to dry out,” he said.

MORGANTOWN – Considering 1776.

When the Governor’s Schools for the state’s top-performing high school students convene this summer, the bulk of the proceedings will be centered around a certain birthday celebration.

The schools are commemorating America250 with a host of expos and events regarding the Republic – where it’s been, and where it’s going – through the 21st century and beyond. 

“Voices of 1776,” is the name of a seminar-style series with guest speakers and discussions geared around the debates of freedom and civic responsibility leading up to the watershed year that changed everything.

“The America250 Student Innovation Expo,” will be more the same – only with student voices, organizers said.

Participants discuss and exhibit their projects and research hearkening back to those first days of the Republic – and how those same sparks remain relevant in the present.

The schools and academies have a history of their own going back to their first summer in 1984 when those first students were invited to stay in college dorms across the state so the learning could commence.

Subsequent students over the years have delved into DNA and the medical, ethical ramifications of what happens when you try to manipulate it.

They’ve learned the ancient techniques that make mummies, well, mummies, while also moving to the politics and particulars of an equally ancient form: Appalachian clog-dancing.

It all kicks off June 20 – West Virginia’s 163rd birthday – with a series of Mountain State road trips through the Governor’s School for Tourism.

The Governor’s Computer Science Institute gathers on the campus of West Virginia University Tech beginning July 6.

In Morgantown, the centerpiece Governor’s Honors Academy assembles at West Virginia University the week of July 11 – while the Governor’s School for the Arts at West Virginia Wesleyan commences the week of June 21.

Marshall University hosts the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurship beginning the week of July 17.

Students will learn how to make bottles at the landmark Blenko Glass factory while also creating their own postcards in another session.

They’ll also be treated to live performances of folk, bluegrass and other Appalachian-themed music.

On June 20, 2024, the first year for the Governor’s School of Tourism, students boarded a charter bus for a West Virginia-themed road trip all about the state’s Colonial and Civil War-steeped history.

The bus didn’t stop until 1,000 miles were added to its odometer.

And Justin Lambert, the state Department of Education administrator who coordinates the schools and academies, loved every mile and every moment of the inaugural excursion. 

“How’s that for a 161st?” the former Advancement Placement history teacher asked then.