ZALESKI, OHIO — A Tornado Warning is in effect for Zaleski, Ohio, right now. Take shelter immediately if you’re in this warning. The warning, issued for Vinton County, was in effect as of radar reflectivity captured at 10:56:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 20, and expires in 32 minutes. This is radar-indicated, meaning trained radar signatures show rotation consistent with a tornado, even if it has not been directly confirmed by a spotter on the ground.
If You’re in Zaleski or McArthur, Take Shelter Now
If you’re in Zaleski or nearby McArthur, the Vinton County seat, you are inside the warned polygon right now. Stop reading and get to your safe place: a basement, or if you don’t have one, an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Put as many walls as possible between yourself and the outside, and cover your head and neck. This is not the moment to wait and watch the sky.
Vinton and Knox Also Sit Inside the Warned Area
The communities of Vinton and Knox also fall within the outlined warning polygon on tonight’s radar. If you’re in either of these small communities, the same guidance applies: get to shelter immediately rather than trying to spot the storm visually, especially since this warning is based on radar-detected rotation and a tornado could be wrapped in rain and difficult to see even if it’s nearby.
Albany Sits Just Outside the Current Polygon but Should Stay Alert
Albany, to the southeast, sits just outside the current warned area based on tonight’s radar image. If you’re in Albany, you’re not under the active warning at this moment, but given how quickly these warnings can expand or shift as a storm continues moving, it’s worth having your phone or weather radio close by rather than assuming you’re in the clear for the rest of the night.
What Radar Indicated Actually Means for This Warning
Tonight’s warning is based on a radar indicated tornado signature rather than a confirmed visual sighting from a trained spotter or law enforcement. That distinction doesn’t make the threat any less real: radar-indicated warnings are issued specifically because the storm’s structure, most often a strong rotational couplet detected by Doppler radar, matches the pattern meteorologists associate with an actual tornado on the ground or forming. Treat a radar-indicated warning with the same urgency as a confirmed one.
Penny-Sized Hail Also Accompanies Tonight’s Storm
Alongside the tornado threat, tonight’s warning also flags hail up to three-quarters of an inch, or penny-sized, within this storm. While hail of that size is on the smaller end of what can accompany a warned storm, it’s still a reminder that this cell is carrying real energy, and anyone caught outside should expect more than just wind and rain if they’re near the storm’s core.
Why This Warning Expires in Just 32 Minutes
Tornado warnings are typically issued for a tight window, often 30 to 45 minutes, because they’re tied to the specific storm cell producing the rotation rather than a broader area of concern. As of 10:56 p.m., this warning is set to expire in 32 minutes, meaning forecasters expect the most dangerous window to pass within that timeframe. That said, if the storm continues showing rotation as it approaches expiration, the National Weather Service can and often does extend or reissue a new warning, so don’t assume the danger is over the moment the clock runs out.
How to Stay Informed as This Storm Continues Moving
If you’re anywhere in or near Vinton Countytonight, keep a phone with weather alerts enabled, a battery-powered weather radio, or a local news broadcast running as this storm continues tracking through the area. Radar shows this cell moving through a mix of rural Vinton County communities, meaning the warning polygon itself could shift as the storm’s rotation evolves over the coming half hour.
Stay in Your Shelter Until the All-Clear
For residents currently in Zaleski, McArthur, Vinton or Knox, stay in your safe location until the warning officially expires or local officials give an all-clear, rather than stepping outside the moment the wind or rain seems to ease. Tornadoes and their associated hazards can arrive with very little additional warning once a storm is already showing radar-indicated rotation, so patience during these next 32 minutes is the safest choice you can make tonight.
