A TVS is NOT the same as gate-to-gate. GtG is not required for TVS and vice versa.
That confuses me. I guess I really need to dig in depth on how 88D works, or rather on how to interpret it on a level that's above my current one because I just know the basics. I know TVS stands for Tornado Vortex Signature and gets triggered by gtg of at least 45kts inbound next to 45kts outbound. And that doesn't necessarily mean a tornado is on the ground, as the only way that can really be verified is by sight.
I guess I'm kind of answering my own question as I talk, but when the TVS was tripped, it was obviously a tight gtg with a delta change of 53kts. Yes, that doesn't mean a tornado is on the ground, only that strong and tight rotation is present. Shouldn't that have gotten warned as a precaution because of the tight signature?
But on the tornado warned storm, there was rotation I could see, but no tight gtg that triggered a TVS. I guess it's possible to have a brief tornado called in confirmed that would get the warning, but this particular storm warning said "doppler radar indicated a tornado." If that was the case, would it not need a tighter and stronger rotation than what it had?
So I guess in a round about way, I answered my own question but came up with a new one. If the tornado warned storm had a gtg less than TVS requirements, why wasn't it labeled with a meso signature instead and why the warning in the first place? My mind says a tornado warned storm with less than TVS requirements implies a really weak rotation and should get a meso label. Obviously, that's not the case as the meteorologists know what they're talking about! I just don't understand the process behind it and I guess am looking at it for face value.
Thanks for your explanations! I'm still pretty new to radar interpretation!