<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3ASNyP_0vk1Wu6S00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ASNyP_0vk1Wu6S00" width="1320" height="743" >WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — Hurricane Helene may be well down in the Gulf of Mexico but it indirectly influenced the weather around here on Wednesday.A stalled front west of the Ohio River and a persistent southeast flow bringing in moisture from the Atlantic made for a soggy day, especially south of I-64 where one to three inches of rain fell.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=30zbfm_0vk1Wu6S00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=30zbfm_0vk1Wu6S00" width="648" height="365" >Not only that but some rotation in the atmosphere allowed some storms to acquire spin and at least one produced a confirmed tornado in Pocahontas County around 6 p.m. near Hillsboro along U.S. 219.This marks the first time a tornado has officially been observed in Pocahontas County with records going back to the 1800s.It also marks the 20th tornado to touch down in West Virginia this year. We already had set the record for number of tornados and this only adds to that.More rain is likely Thursday although it should tail off some from I-64 north in the afternoon. It will be a gloomy and relatively cool day.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1TBUgm_0vk1Wu6S00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1TBUgm_0vk1Wu6S00" width="648" height="365" >Hurricane Helene is forecast to strike just east of Panama City, Florida Thursday evening as a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph or greater. From there it will move quickly north toward Atlanta late Friday night, still producing winds near or over 75 mph.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2QWKjr_0vk1Wu6S00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2QWKjr_0vk1Wu6S00" width="648" height="365" >The storm will then get drawn toward a cutoff low pressure center in the southern Plains, which will act to bend it toward the northwest and west as it weakens. This reduces, although doesn't eliminate, the impacts for us on Friday.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3oTKpK_0vk1Wu6S00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3oTKpK_0vk1Wu6S00" width="648" height="365" >Expect some bands of rain to move through Friday morning into afternoon from south to north. Winds will be gusty, probably around 25-35 mph in the valleys -- a typical fall day with a cold front passing through.However, the higher ridges of West Virginia and Kentucky will see gusts of 50 to possibly 60 mph so be careful on the roads in places like Flattop or Bluefield.Gusts of 40+ mph are more likely across our Kentucky counties because they are closer to the center of low pressure.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1U2Rem_0vk1Wu6S00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1U2Rem_0vk1Wu6S00" width="648" height="365" >Some sun will likely break out later Friday afternoon and many high school football games are probably dry although winds may still be brisk.More showers and storms will return, however, this weekend as the cutoff low and what's left of Helene move east over us.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Tornado touches down in Pocahontas County; more rain/wind from Helene ahead

WEST VIRGINIA (WCHS) — Hurricane Helene may be well down in the Gulf of Mexico but it indirectly influenced the weather around here on Wednesday. A stalled front west of the Ohio River and a persistent southeast flow bringing in moisture from the Atlantic made for a soggy day, especially south of I-64 where one to three inches of rain fell.