Tornado Watch until 3am

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

  TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 729
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
720 PM EDT TUE OCT 26 2010

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

       DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
       EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA
       WESTERN MARYLAND
       WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
       UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA
       WESTERN AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA
       THE EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA PANHANDLE
       COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 720 PM
UNTIL 300 AM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 65 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF
MARTINSBURG WEST VIRGINIA TO 10 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF ANDERSON
SOUTH CAROLINA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 725...WW 726...WW
727...WW 728...

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS WILL CONTINUE IN A LOOSE BAND
FROM SC NEWD INTO WRN NC AND WRN VA THIS EVENING...IN AN ENVIRONMENT
FAVORING SUPERCELLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW TORNADOES.  FARTHER
N AND LATER...A BAND OF ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SQUALL LINE WHICH
WEAKENED OVER THE APPALACHIANS WILL ENCOUNTER A MORE MOIST/UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT ACROSS VA/MD.  HERE...STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR COULD
SUPPORT THE FORMATION OF ADDITIONAL BOWING SEGMENTS AND EMBEDDED
SUPERCELLS...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND A COUPLE OF
TORNADOES TONIGHT.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...THOMPSON