The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Colonial Heights about two minutes after a twister touched down there Monday, the service says.
The tornado was tough to pick up on radar, said Rick Curry, a Weather Service forecaster in Wakefield.
"[The tornado] showed itself on the radar at the same time it was occurring on the ground," Curry said yesterday.
The radar produces a scan every five minutes, and a tornado can hit between scans, Curry said.
"We try to avoid [a late warning], but yes, it happens," Curry said.
It appears the Weather Service issued warnings several minutes before the other tornadoes hit Monday, service officials said.
For example, warnings for tornadoes in Suffolk and in Brunswick County appeared to have been issued five minutes or more before those tornadoes touched down, Curry said.
The Colonial Heights tornado hit at about 3:40 p.m.
Bob Spieldenner, a spokesman for the state Department of Emergency Management, was not critical of the Colonial Heights warning.
"I don't think you can ever be 100 percent when you are dealing with Mother Nature," Spieldenner said.
A Weather Service forecaster will issue a watch if conditions are favorable for creating a tornado. A warning is issued when the tornado is extremely likely or is occurring.
Weather radios, which anyone can buy, report the watches and warnings. They can be programmed to announce alerts for specific areas.
The Weather Service also puts the watches and warnings on its Web site. The news media also help spread the word when tornadoes approach.
Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or rspringston@timesdispatch.com
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