Jump to content
  • Member Statistics

    17,606
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    ArlyDude
    Newest Member
    ArlyDude
    Joined

Mar. 29-30 Severe Weather Thread


Recommended Posts

I don't usually like starting up severe threads, but this morning's SPC Day 2 outlook has the slight risk west of the Mississippi River for tomorrow, although the 5% threat knocks on my area's door tomorrow (our best chance of t-storms here in central Illinois is tomorrow night). Still wouldn't be surprised if western Illinois may eventually still be in play tomorrow:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day2otlk.html

Also a Day 3 slight already posted for Friday in parts of IN, OH, and KY, with at leats Indy, Cincy, Columbus and Louisville in play:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day3otlk.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The afternoon Day 2 update now extends the slight risk eastward to the Quincy/Hannibal area. Also interesting that the 5% risk area is much farther east than in this morning's forcast, now roughly south of I-74 in Illinois and Indiana and extending as far east as Lexington, KY and not quite Cincy (most likely an overnight risk in the Ohio Valley tomorrow night).

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day2otlk.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The latest SPC Day 1 (slight risk now includes far western Illinois):

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html

Little change on the SPC Day 2 from yesterday--IN/KY/OH still in play (mostly a wind/hail threat):

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day2otlk.html

And let's extend this thread to round out March by including Saturday--far NW IL and SW WI (as is much of IA) in a 5% "See Text" area:

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day3otlk.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The latest Day 2 shifts tomorrow's slight risk much farther west--eastern IL and most of IN/OH now in play (as is far N KY):

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day2otlk.html

...OH VALLEY AND MID-MS VALLEY...

A SUBTLE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE ESEWD ACROSS THE OH

VALLEY ON FRIDAY AS A SFC LOW GRADUALLY DEEPENS...MOVING EWD ACROSS

IL...IND AND OH DURING DAY. ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE TRACK OF THE

LOW...SFC DEWPOINTS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S F

WITH MODERATE INSTABILITY DEVELOPING AROUND MIDDAY. MODEL FORECASTS

INITIATE THUNDERSTORMS JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE SFC LOW IN THE

VICINITY OF CHICAGO FRIDAY MORNING WITH THIS ACTIVITY SPREADING

ESEWD ACROSS IND AND OH DURING THE AFTERNOON.

FORECAST SOUNDINGS AT 21Z FRIDAY AT INDIANAPOLIS AND CINCINNATI SHOW

MLCAPE VALUES FROM 1000 TO 1500 J/KG WITH STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE

RATES NEAR 7.0 C/KM. IN ADDITION...THE ENTRANCE REGION OF A

MID-LEVEL JET SHOULD MOVE ACROSS THE OH VALLEY HELPING TO ENHANCE

DEEP LAYER SHEAR WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING 0-6 KM SHEAR IN THE

30 TO 40 KT RANGE. THE SHEAR AND THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT SHOULD

SUPPORT A SEVERE THREAT AS STORMS INCREASE IN COVERAGE FRIDAY

AFTERNOON. THE STORMS MAY DEVELOP INTO A LINE AS A COLD FRONT

ADVANCES ESEWD ACROSS THE REGION. THIS ALONG WITH VEERED LOW-LEVEL

FLOW AND 0-3 KM LAPSE RATES OF 8.5 TO 9.0 C/KM SHOULD BE FAVORABLE

FOR ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE. A THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL SHOULD ALSO EXIST

WITH THE GREATEST THREAT JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE SFC LOW TRACK

WHERE THE GREATEST COMBINATION OF INSTABILITY AND SHEAR IS FORECAST.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I am more optimistic about tomorrow's set-up. Should see clearing by Noon with a backed flow ahead and just Southeast of the surface low. That combined with pretty decent shear and a decent moisture infux should help to at least lead to some scattered severe convection with a possible transition to a squall line in the evening. Wouldn't rule out a couple tornadoes though, especially across Eastern Indiana and Western Ohio.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of the most powerful t storms I've experienced happened after morning convection cleared and the second round came later in the day. 4/27/11 had powerful a.m. storms in Alabama with clearing and then mega concerns. Not comparing this set up to that though other than to emphasize boundaries being set by morning storms and increase in low level dews that provide potential for later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never feel good about afternoon convection when morning storms and clouds are in the forecast.

Some of the most powerful t storms I've experienced happened after morning convection cleared and the second round came later in the day. 4/27/11 had powerful a.m. storms in Alabama with clearing and then mega concerns. Not comparing this set up to that though other than to emphasize boundaries being set by morning storms and increase in low level dews that provide potential for later.

It seems like it's a fine line sometimes. If you can get the morning crapvection out of way early enough to get some decent clearing before the front/prefrontal trough rolls through, you can get some good storms. But I've also seen many times when you just don't get the clearing and all you end up with is a second round of crapvection at best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a sounding off the 0z NAM for southwest of Lima, OH at 21z.

post-1820-0-18982000-1333079688.png

post-1820-0-72474400-1333079700.png

Decent low level lapse rates and good turning. Despite the SW flow at the surface, there's still adequate veering up to 700 mb, which is good enough to produce 0-3km SRH values of 200-350 in a region that overlaps with a region of 1000-2000 J/Kg of sb CAPE (although there is a sharp gradient just northeast). At this time, the NAM has a blob of precip over northern IN moving into this area, so things could get interesting in the 21z-0z time frame along I-75 in Ohio.

The problem is that LCLs are rather low, and the NAM already shows a blob (rather than discrete stuff) so you would definitely have issues with rain-wrapping around cells and probably multicellular competition too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This reminds me more of a hybrid of a summer time set up, you have a thermal ridge axis to the SW and a shortwave trough traveling ESE along the axis. And just north of where that axis is where the severe weather sets up. But this usually leads to damaging straight line winds and hail as primary threats. Of couse you have that non-zero tornado threat as well, but not feeling it for this set up. But you might get some nice shelves! (sp?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This reminds me more of a hybrid of a summer time set up, you have a thermal ridge axis to the SW and a shortwave trough traveling ESE along the axis. And just north of where that axis is where the severe weather sets up. But this usually leads to damaging straight line winds and hail as primary threats. Of couse you have that non-zero tornado threat as well, but not feeling it for this set up. But you might get some nice shelves! (sp?)

Thanks for chiming in Moe. Don't be a stranger. I'm looking forward to some nickles and borderline damaging wind this afternoon in these parts. If I can get off of work in time, I hope to get some pics of cloud structure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not a huge fan of the tornado potential today, somewhat surprised to see 5% threat from the SPC. Looks like the storms will be parallel to the upper-level winds, so we should see growth to linear rather quickly. The best bet for tornaduhs would be some squall line spin-ups if there is some localized helicity. Definitely enough shear/instability to get some decent hail, although most should be golf ball sized and under.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0389

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

0112 PM CDT FRI MAR 30 2012

AREAS AFFECTED...WRN/CNTRL OH...CNTRL/SRN IND...SRN IL

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH LIKELY

VALID 301812Z - 301945Z

THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS FORECAST TO TAKE PLACE DURING THE NEXT

FEW HRS ACROSS PORTIONS OF WRN OH SWWD INTO CNTRL IND AND SRN IL.

SVR STORMS WILL BE PROBABLE...AND A WW ISSUANCE WILL LIKELY BE

NEEDED BY 19-20Z.

MIDDAY MESOANALYSIS PLACES AN AREA OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER NWRN

IND AT 17Z...WHICH IS COINCIDENT WITH A MIDLEVEL IMPULSE MOVING E

ACROSS LK MI. WARM SECTOR AIRMASS...CHARACTERIZED BY TEMPERATURES

WARMING INTO THE MID TO UPR 70S WITH DEWPOINTS FROM THE MID 50S TO

LOW 60S...IS BOUNDED BY A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SWWD INTO CNTRL/SRN

MO...AND A WARM FRONT EXTENDING SEWD INTO ERN KY. STEEP MIDLEVEL

LAPSE RATES NEAR 8 C/KM RESIDE ABOVE THE DESTABILIZING WARM SECTOR

AIRMASS...AND WILL AID IN MLCAPE VALUES FROM 1000-1500 J/KG BY PEAK

HEATING. MEANWHILE...AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES...THE SURFACE LOW

AND WARM FRONT WILL ADVANCE INTO OH...WHILE THE COLD FRONT DROPS

S-SEWD TOWARD SRN IND AND IL. THE COMBINATION OF CONVERGENCE AND

BOUNDARY LAYER DESTABILIZATION ALONG THE FRONT...AS WELL AS WEAK

LARGE-SCALE ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED UPPER

WAVE...SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR THUNDERSTORM INITIATION ALONG THE

COLD FRONT...PERHAPS AS EARLY AS 19-20Z BASED ON RECENT RUNS OF THE

HRRR.

MIDLEVEL WLYS RANGE FROM 50 KT NEAR THE LK MI IMPULSE...TO 20-30 KT

OVER SRN IL...AND WILL YIELD SUFFICIENTLY STRONG DEEP-LAYER VERTICAL

WIND SHEAR /I.E. 0-6 KM BULK WIND DIFFERENCE FROM 20-40 KT/ FOR

ORGANIZED MULTICELL AND SUPERCELL STORM DEVELOPMENT. GIVEN THE

LINEAR NATURE OF LOW-LEVEL FORCING ALONG THE COLD FRONT...STORMS MAY

TEND TO ORGANIZE INTO LINE SEGMENTS...AND WILL POSE A THREAT FOR

DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. CLOSER TO THE SURFACE LOW AND WARM

FRONT OVER IND AND OH...SURFACE WINDS WILL BE MORE STRONGLY

BACKED...WHICH WILL MAXIMIZE LOW-LEVEL VERTICAL WIND SHEAR /0-1 KM

SRH AOA 150 M2 S-2/...AND INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES.

..GARNER.. 03/30/2012

ATTN...WFO...CLE...ILN...LMK...IWX...IND...PAH...ILX...LSX...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...