Apparent derecho strikes region Tuesday morning; more storms into the night

A violent line of storms producing wind gusts of 50-100 mph along with some tornadoes struck our region in the mid-late morning hours Tuesday.

A derecho is defined as a storm line that produces frequent gusts of 58 mph along its path for more than 240 miles. This line started west of Lexington, Ky., at dawn and rolled east through our area and all the way into western Virginia before weakening, covering around 360 miles -- so it fits the definition.

At least one tornado has already been confirmed as touching down in Boyd County, Ky., and more are likely to be identified in the coming days when the National Weather Service conducts surveys.

More than 100,000 customers are without power in West Virginia alone and restoration efforts being hampered by non-severe storms pushing through mid-afternoon.

This afternoon rain is helping keep temperatures down, which can limit the redevelopment of severe weather. However, far southern parts of Kentucky and West Virginia will be watched through sundown for a possible stronger storm.

The other area to watch this evening will be central Kentucky where some clearing right now can help the atmosphere destabilize ahead of a strong approaching cold front.

As a deepening low pressure heads into the Great Lakes severe storms are likely to develop in central Kentucky and then head up into Southeast Ohio. This will be another area to watch closer to and after sundown for possible severe weather and even a tornado threat.

A tornado watch is in effect for that area through 10 p.m.

The bottom line is we are certainly not out of the woods for severe weather with this system. It likely won't be a widespread line like this morning but individual storms can produce tornadoes even after sundown.

Even overnight there is the potential for some stronger storms or showers to push through the area as the cold front crosses.

Much colder weather will follow for the remainder of the week with rain, sleet and snow showers likely at times.