June

[Gastonwxman]

Warning up for my area:

Bulletin - Eas Activation Requested

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC

846 PM EDT Sat Jun 11 2011

The National Weather Service In Greenville-Spartanburg Has Issued A

Severe Thunderstorm Warning For,

York County In Upstate South Carolina,

Until 945 PM Edt

At 846 PM EDT, National Weather Service Doppler Radar Indicated A

Severe Thunderstorm Capable Of Producing Quarter Size Hail, And

Damaging Winds In Excess Of 60 Mph. This Storm Was Located 4 Miles

Southeast Of Kings Mountain State Park, Or 8 Miles Northwest Of

York, Moving East At 5 Mph.

Locations Impacted Include,

Bullock Creek,

Sharon,

Clover And York,

Stats:

Gaston County, NC

Severe Thunderstorm

67 dBZ

Severe Hail: 70% Chance

Hail: 90% Chance

Max Hail Size: 1.75"

Top: 27,000 ft.

VIL: 47 kg/m²

It's quite a hail producer that's for sure. Loud rumbles of thunder already here.

[dsaur]

Got 17 drops today. None found the collectors. Radar show a hole over me while it poured everywhere else. Isolated thunderstorms...hmmm...I'm beginning to think that means..."Isolate Tony from any rain". Good thing I'm not paranoid T

[Gastonwxman]

I think I have caught what has to be the most beautiful and dangerous lightning storm ever to hit Gastonia. There were a couple of times where I was nearly struck due to the bolt being right near my neighborhood and literally blinded me for a moment due to the closeness of it (I could close my eyes and still see the image of it). Those bolts in particular produced thunder that sounded like a hydrogen bomb going off in the distance No hail ever fell on my end but plenty of wind and torrential rain followed. Just an amazing storm with lots to offer. Now that's the kind of action I like having when it comes to storms such as this.

I'm still working on a couple of videos I made from last night's storm so I'll upload the storm from tonight instead since it's shorter.

[shaggy]

Still no rain so i'm laying all my hope on tomorrow.

[NCBlizzard]

Still a very vivid lightning show to my south now, with light rain still falling. Got .75" in just 40 minutes. Here's a before shot of the storm developing, and the high winds. This is the first wave of high winds, the second wave was much worse but my memory filled up. Like I said earlier in May, if I don't get another storm this Summer or Fall, I've already had the best storm season here since June 2005. No other year even comes close to approaching this Spring as far as thunderstorms go, atleast not until you go into the middle 1990's....

Wow, I really missed out. I have no idea how but I got less than a .10", extreme cutoff.

But some extreme lightning still going on to the west putting on a good show!

[Gastonwxman]

First part up. This captures the storm just as its moving into Gastonia. Very terrific CG bolts in this and the other two parts.

[juspeachy]

Just got a few shots of some amazing cloud formations. This is viewing to my west out toward the Kings Mountain area:

Just saw your post. That explains why I'm seeing this. It looks rather nasty just from how this storm's structured. Sounds like you're having quite a bit of action going on.

Great pics!

Nothing here again today. I figured it would pour since we decided to start putting the swimming pool up...

[EmersonGA]

Sorry to leave you all alone Tony but I finally got a little real rain here. I was at an outdoor wedding in Cave Spring that got rained out. They had a back up plan fortunately. I picked up .4" at the house. Just a few miles east my parents picked up 1.25". Ill take what I can get.

[Gastonwxman]

Part 2: The continuation of perfect capturing of lightning bolts. The last one will feature me getting nearly struck twice (once while I'm outside and again while on the porch). You'll know which ones they are. I'll have it posted below this video in a moment:

EDIT(11:46pm): Here it is:

[FoothillsNC]

Part 2: The continuation of perfect capturing of lightning bolts. The last one will feature me getting nearly struck twice (once while I'm outside and again while on the porch). You'll know which ones they are. I'll have it posted below this video in a moment:

good vid of the storm Reggie, and commentary too. Did you have high winds at any point?

[Gastonwxman]

good vid of the storm Reggie, and commentary too. Did you have high winds at any point?

Thanks Robert. Much appreciated. Winds gusted to around 63mph here but just for about, say 10 seconds at least a moment after the rain rapidly picked up.. However, that was enough to snap some of the branches that were already weak from the previous storms that had those +70mph wind speeds. From there, it was a consistent gust of 40-50mph and the lightning getting to the point where it was just too dangerous to stay on the porch, hence why I ended my third video so quickly. All in all, this storm was CLASSIC! THIS is what I grew up with throughout my years as a kid every summer.

[WilkesboroDude]

Test

[eyewall]

Thanks Robert. Much appreciated. Winds gusted to around 63mph here but just for about, say 10 seconds at least a moment after the rain rapidly picked up.. However, that was enough to snap some of the branches that were already weak from the previous storms that had those +70mph wind speeds. From there, it was a consistent gust of 40-50mph and the lightning getting to the point where it was just too dangerous to stay on the porch, hence why I ended my third video so quickly. All in all, this storm was CLASSIC! THIS is what I grew up with throughout my years as a kid every summer.

Great capture of the lightning!

[NEGa]

Got 17 drops today. None found the collectors. Radar show a hole over me while it poured everywhere else. Isolated thunderstorms...hmmm...I'm beginning to think that means..."Isolate Tony from any rain". Good thing I'm not paranoid T

lol - i am right there with you. the last week has seen big storms literally all around me, developing within a few miles of mby and yet not making it here. sigh

i watched (and listened) to a huge storm for a couple of hours as it moved 3 miles to my west

[eyewall]

lol - i am right there with you. the last week has seen big storms literally all around me, developing within a few miles of mby and yet not making it here. sigh

i watched (and listened) to a huge storm for a couple of hours as it moved 3 miles to my west

Chase

[shaggy]

Today may be the day for us in eastern NC . Its been a terrible long stretch with no rain but the NWS is going with 60% for today and locally heavy rainfall with pwats nearing 2 inches with slow moving storms we could see a good bit of rain. I see the SPC has slight risked areas just to my west so hopefully a few of those severe storms will shift eastward as the day progresses so I won't have to chase them.

The last 6 weeks have been miserable for rain out here and my total rainfall since early may is at about .85.

[FoothillsNC]

Today may be the day for us in eastern NC . Its been a terrible long stretch with no rain but the NWS is going with 60% for today and locally heavy rainfall with pwats nearing 2 inches with slow moving storms we could see a good bit of rain. I see the SPC has slight risked areas just to my west so hopefully a few of those severe storms will shift eastward as the day progresses so I won't have to chase them.

The last 6 weeks have been miserable for rain out here and my total rainfall since early may is at about .85.

Looks like today is def. your best chance ina while. The lee trough is further east in the piedmont and with westerly flow they will no doubt congregate and organize this afternoon and evening, into a pretty large mass/cluster that will slide east...probably all the way to the coast. Roughly the line today should begin around I-77 or just east, growing as it organizes. (probably a dry day here with dewpoints mixing out).

[eyewall]

It may very well be a good lightning shot day with frequent to nearly continuous lightning possible in the most intense storms.

[Wow]

We had a really close lightning bolt hit last night. So close you heard the "snap" as it struck with a massive thunder clasp immediately thereafter. No power flickers so I don't think it was a power line. Sounded like it was only about 50 feet away.

Definitely the closest I've experienced in years.

[dsaur]

Sorry to leave you all alone Tony but I finally got a little real rain here. I was at an outdoor wedding in Cave Spring that got rained out. They had a back up plan fortunately. I picked up .4" at the house. Just a few miles east my parents picked up 1.25". Ill take what I can get.

Good on ya, mate!

Oh, well, what doesn't get you soaked makes you stronger I think Kipling said it best..."if the sun is out, and sky is fair, while those around you are getting drenched, and dance about in the cooled air... and you can smile though dripping sweat, and acknowledge their play with no regret, then you'll be a man, my son"...or something like that. T

[FoothillsNC]

The pattern change the GFS showed a few days ago now has great support. A 50/50 deep low will stall out and the big Canadian ridge will act as a suppressor in a split flow type of jet. Its been several years since this has happened in June, from my recollection. I think Summer 2003 was similar , other than that you'd have to go back to the 1990's so this is a throwback pattern (atleast for the month of June). The strong Pac jet will be forced to cut south in the upper Midwest, and usually this equates to daily MCC activity, and in this case, the models develop atleast 2 different lows in the Carolinas later this week. The rain and storms will not be the usual afternoon variety, but will be enhanced then. Instead, morning, noon and night is game in this synoptically-driven environment. Areas that have missed out such as ne TN, SW VA and eastern Carolinas to central GA, this is your chance to make up ground. This looks esp. good for central to eastern Carolinas and on the west side of the Apps. The lower height field and 850 temps also will give us a much needed break from the high heat, helped out by much more cloud cover as well. Also, the storms should be able to organize and cover a lot of ground at once. Huge masses of storms, instead of the smaller garden variety. Again I think this will esp. favor eastern Carolinas to eastern GA at times, but most of us should end up turning much wetter than recently, and some areas that get hit repeatedly probably will actually get too much rain (flood warnings) at some point. I think its a pattern long overdue, and would be welcome by everyone needing the rain, unfortunately it may not be much help to Florida, and not Texas yet. Haven't seen the 12z yet, but the previous runs also had a big change to another wet pattern for the central and eastern , esp. Southeast states, once the flow shifts. A Bermuda ridge and mid nations trough, meaning our typical muggy and southwest flow...once again, that would keep the closed highs (and upper 90's) gone, and daily showers and storms in place, this time including Texas finally. Certainly hope that long range pattern works out as well.

[CLTwx]

BRING IT!!

The pattern change the GFS showed a few days ago now has great support. A 50/50 deep low will stall out and the big Canadian ridge will act as a suppressor in a split flow type of jet. Its been several years since this has happened in June, from my recollection. I think Summer 2003 was similar , other than that you'd have to go back to the 1990's so this is a throwback pattern (atleast for the month of June). The strong Pac jet will be forced to cut south in the upper Midwest, and usually this equates to daily MCC activity, and in this case, the models develop atleast 2 different lows in the Carolinas later this week. The rain and storms will not be the usual afternoon variety, but will be enhanced then. Instead, morning, noon and night is game in this synoptically-driven environment. Areas that have missed out such as ne TN, SW VA and eastern Carolinas to central GA, this is your chance to make up ground. This looks esp. good for central to eastern Carolinas and on the west side of the Apps. The lower height field and 850 temps also will give us a much needed break from the high heat, helped out by much more cloud cover as well. Also, the storms should be able to organize and cover a lot of ground at once. Huge masses of storms, instead of the smaller garden variety. Again I think this will esp. favor eastern Carolinas to eastern GA at times, but most of us should end up turning much wetter than recently, and some areas that get hit repeatedly probably will actually get too much rain (flood warnings) at some point. I think its a pattern long overdue, and would be welcome by everyone needing the rain, unfortunately it may not be much help to Florida, and not Texas yet. Haven't seen the 12z yet, but the previous runs also had a big change to another wet pattern for the central and eastern , esp. Southeast states, once the flow shifts. A Bermuda ridge and mid nations trough, meaning our typical muggy and southwest flow...once again, that would keep the closed highs (and upper 90's) gone, and daily showers and storms in place, this time including Texas finally. Certainly hope that long range pattern works out as well.

[shaggy]

Looks like today is def. your best chance ina while. The lee trough is further east in the piedmont and with westerly flow they will no doubt congregate and organize this afternoon and evening, into a pretty large mass/cluster that will slide east...probably all the way to the coast. Roughly the line today should begin around I-77 or just east, growing as it organizes. (probably a dry day here with dewpoints mixing out).

I am sure you can relate to how at times even good chances of rain fall apart when such a drought is going on. Too many times I have seen high chance days turn into busts as the drought and dry ground start to influence the chances. I am hopeful that today brings us rain but I when it gets this bad I tend to lose trust in the forecasts.

As far as the pattern change you are talking about goes it makes perfect sense. We are going to Bath,nc for a week long vacation next week and of course the sunny weather will change to torrential rains everyday as we are trying to catch some flounder and drum!

[FoothillsNC]

BRING IT!!

Just saw the 12z GFS and its adamant, a daily routine of rains, morning, noon and overnight is coming (not continuous of course). Very widespread too. The split flow type of pattern is clear, and strong 5h vorts are plentiful, being split off from the incoming northern Rockies trough. All we need this time of year is a very weak impulse and already several big ones are shown, a tell-tale sign of major , widespread slugs of rain and thunderstorms, that cross the central plains, Tenn Valley to northern Miss. Ala, Ga and the Carolinas, almost on the daily....for about a week. Thats about as excellent of news as we can expect this time of year. To me its the equal of the great Winter pattern we had late December to mid January last Winter.

[FoothillsNC]

I am sure you can relate to how at times even good chances of rain fall apart when such a drought is going on. Too many times I have seen high chance days turn into busts as the drought and dry ground start to influence the chances. I am hopeful that today brings us rain but I when it gets this bad I tend to lose trust in the forecasts.

As far as the pattern change you are talking about goes it makes perfect sense. We are going to Bath,nc for a week long vacation next week and of course the sunny weather will change to torrential rains everyday as we are trying to catch some flounder and drum!

this should get you this time, but as always when in a drought, strange things can (and do) happen. Seen that here plenty of times. This new pattern offers much lower heights across the area, esp. the further east you get into NC, and the GFS actually had surface lows to your south, still has several convective induced lows there in eastern GA as well, beginning mid week. We'll have to just wait and see how the overall pattern evolves, but its a very good look in the zone I had highlighted. I'd be extremely surprised if you don't somehow get several inches of rain out of this pattern by the time 10 days is done...its not a really hit or miss type convection pattern, but these systems should be much larger widespread masses of rain. And like I said, there are going to be several of them in a few days span, so certainly one of them will get you (if not several).

[Carvers Gap]

The pattern change the GFS showed a few days ago now has great support. A 50/50 deep low will stall out and the big Canadian ridge will act as a suppressor in a split flow type of jet. Its been several years since this has happened in June, from my recollection. I think Summer 2003 was similar , other than that you'd have to go back to the 1990's so this is a throwback pattern (atleast for the month of June). The strong Pac jet will be forced to cut south in the upper Midwest, and usually this equates to daily MCC activity, and in this case, the models develop atleast 2 different lows in the Carolinas later this week. The rain and storms will not be the usual afternoon variety, but will be enhanced then. Instead, morning, noon and night is game in this synoptically-driven environment. Areas that have missed out such as ne TN, SW VA and eastern Carolinas to central GA, this is your chance to make up ground. This looks esp. good for central to eastern Carolinas and on the west side of the Apps. The lower height field and 850 temps also will give us a much needed break from the high heat, helped out by much more cloud cover as well. Also, the storms should be able to organize and cover a lot of ground at once. Huge masses of storms, instead of the smaller garden variety. Again I think this will esp. favor eastern Carolinas to eastern GA at times, but most of us should end up turning much wetter than recently, and some areas that get hit repeatedly probably will actually get too much rain (flood warnings) at some point. I think its a pattern long overdue, and would be welcome by everyone needing the rain, unfortunately it may not be much help to Florida, and not Texas yet. Haven't seen the 12z yet, but the previous runs also had a big change to another wet pattern for the central and eastern , esp. Southeast states, once the flow shifts. A Bermuda ridge and mid nations trough, meaning our typical muggy and southwest flow...once again, that would keep the closed highs (and upper 90's) gone, and daily showers and storms in place, this time including Texas finally. Certainly hope that long range pattern works out as well.

Music to my ears!!!! Excellent write-up...and not just because my backyard finally gets some water.

[Gastonwxman]

One good thing about today's storms will be that they are expected to move more quickly than they have been for the past few days now since the front will be pushing through the region but still can't rule out areas that either flood easily or have been flooded from previous heavy downpours.

http://gwxmanblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/storms-on-increase-today-cooler-weather.html

[jrips27]

The pattern change the GFS showed a few days ago now has great support. A 50/50 deep low will stall out and the big Canadian ridge will act as a suppressor in a split flow type of jet. Its been several years since this has happened in June, from my recollection. I think Summer 2003 was similar , other than that you'd have to go back to the 1990's so this is a throwback pattern (atleast for the month of June). The strong Pac jet will be forced to cut south in the upper Midwest, and usually this equates to daily MCC activity, and in this case, the models develop atleast 2 different lows in the Carolinas later this week. The rain and storms will not be the usual afternoon variety, but will be enhanced then. Instead, morning, noon and night is game in this synoptically-driven environment. Areas that have missed out such as ne TN, SW VA and eastern Carolinas to central GA, this is your chance to make up ground. This looks esp. good for central to eastern Carolinas and on the west side of the Apps. The lower height field and 850 temps also will give us a much needed break from the high heat, helped out by much more cloud cover as well. Also, the storms should be able to organize and cover a lot of ground at once. Huge masses of storms, instead of the smaller garden variety. Again I think this will esp. favor eastern Carolinas to eastern GA at times, but most of us should end up turning much wetter than recently, and some areas that get hit repeatedly probably will actually get too much rain (flood warnings) at some point. I think its a pattern long overdue, and would be welcome by everyone needing the rain, unfortunately it may not be much help to Florida, and not Texas yet. Haven't seen the 12z yet, but the previous runs also had a big change to another wet pattern for the central and eastern , esp. Southeast states, once the flow shifts. A Bermuda ridge and mid nations trough, meaning our typical muggy and southwest flow...once again, that would keep the closed highs (and upper 90's) gone, and daily showers and storms in place, this time including Texas finally. Certainly hope that long range pattern works out as well.

Just saw the 12z GFS and its adamant, a daily routine of rains, morning, noon and overnight is coming (not continuous of course). Very widespread too. The split flow type of pattern is clear, and strong 5h vorts are plentiful, being split off from the incoming northern Rockies trough. All we need this time of year is a very weak impulse and already several big ones are shown, a tell-tale sign of major , widespread slugs of rain and thunderstorms, that cross the central plains, Tenn Valley to northern Miss. Ala, Ga and the Carolinas, almost on the daily....for about a week. Thats about as excellent of news as we can expect this time of year. To me its the equal of the great Winter pattern we had late December to mid January last Winter.

Wow great news!!! I'll be looking forward to it!!

[SN_Lover]

Severe thunderstorm watch issued.

"DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS ARE STRENGTHENING ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN PA...AND ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS BEGINNING FARTHER TO THE S/SW OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND IN THE OPEN WARM SECTOR. STRONG SURFACE HEATING IS SUPPORTING MLCAPE VALUES OF 1500-2000 J/KG...WHILE VERTICAL SHEAR IS SUFFICIENT FOR ORGANIZED CLUSTERS FROM NRN VA INTO PA. FARTHER S...THE ENVIRONMENT IS MORE FAVORABLE FOR PULSE TYPE SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING DOWNBURSTS...GIVEN THE WEAKER VERTICAL SHEAR AND STEEP LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT...THOUGH MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGER STORMS." (SPC)

[rosie]

Had some thunder, unfortunately the rain was pitiful. Perhaps another day. Robert's outlook definitely looks great!