Tornado warnings expire

No touchdowns but yes strong winds in spots

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - For a second straight night, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued tornado warnings for a handful of counties in the Big and Little Sandy Valleys of Kentucky and West Virginia.

Those alerts came courtesy of rotational winds in the clouds as detected by doppler radar. Since a normal late summer Appalachian tornado can last less than 10 minutes, the NWS plays it safe to call for tornado warnings before a would-be tornado occurs.

Like Sunday night, rotational winds in the heavens does not mean circular winds at the ground. It’s the state of the art in modern meteorology.

Still, the doppler radar presentation of strong winds and frequent lightning was nailed by the NWS in issuing sister severe thunderstorm warnings.

The culprit for the alerts can be finger pointed at the combination of a tropical late summer air mass and a cool front that was soon to pass. Once that front passes, the air will cool markedly starting Tuesday through the weekend as a taste of fall arrives on schedule.

The equinox is slated for just past 8 Tuesday night.