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February 20 Severe Weather Threat


Hoosier

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With the shear profiles (especially in the Tennessee Valley), I'd be concerned about embedded supercells even within a QLCS.

 

I agree Tony. Different setup, same story. Those 0-1 srh values coming in on the RAP are alarming considering the NAM seemed to be underestimating that parameter by a long shot. The uptick in instability values on the 0z NAM and GFS runs also are nothing to laugh at. I'm really interested to see if we get any semi-discrete development tomorrow across TN and KY before the main squall line catches up because if we do I think there could be some big problems. As you were alluding to Tony, I'm also very concerned about a number of tornadoes occurring within the QLCS itself and strong tornadoes at that. It's going to be an interesting day.

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The 03z RAP shows a pretty good idea where the warm sector and warm front could be tomorrow. S IL, S IN, OH, SW PA. This area looks like could be in play for some severe weather action

 

You are much too far away from the main forcing for ascent to be in the main threat for severe wx tomorrow.

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Just seeing tight gradient in temps along warm front, looks very impressive.  This is one of the most challenging severe weather set ups to forecast

 

You need forcing to get stuff to go too though, and that far east along the warm front wont have much forcing on it.

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You are much too far away from the main forcing for ascent to be in the main threat for severe wx tomorrow.

I could see some elevated convection with a marginal hail risk across northern IN/OH into even lower MI during the morning and into the afternoon on the nose of a strong LLJ with some elevated CAPE in place and good sheer, but I don't think that affects SW PA all that much.

 

The northern extent of the damaging wind/tornado threat in the evening will be interesting. The ARW suggests temperatures approaching 60 north of I-70 in IN and OH tomorrow evening right ahead of the front (although not quite getting there). Even with the snow pack, I'd still be inclined to buy the warmer solutions here. It hit 47 in CLE last night with almost 10" of snow on the ground with much weaker WAA. I'm not an expert on the models but I think they initialize with snow cover areas, so they would already being accounting for snow cover. I'd usually expect mid 60's in Cleveland in this setup but with snow cover likely not completely disappearing it probably won't get quite that warm. It will be very interesting to see how warm it can get where snow remains on the ground tomorrow evening. It obviously won't take much to get the winds to near the ground with such high shear values, and there should be enough MUCAPE for convection, the question will be is there enough of a low level inversion to stop most of the wind from getting to the ground.

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So guys what do you think about chances in St. Louis tomorrow? Over on Chris Higgins forum people are saying the models are more in our favor now.

 

Any chance I might get nipped by some severe weather?

 

I'm thinking it's like Nov of last year where the supercells formed right over us and then became tornadic when they got into IL. Hopefully they form sooner. I'd love to see some action.

 

Also any chance someone gets put under a PDS tomorrow or a Mod or High risk?

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Also any chance someone gets put under a PDS tomorrow or a Mod or High risk?

 

Moderate risk is pretty much a slam dunk at this point for at least damaging wind, the other two I'd doubt unless it is really expected to go off with a large amount of model consensus, especially the high res guidance.

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Moderate risk is pretty much a slam dunk at this point for at least damaging wind, the other two I'd doubt unless it is really expected to go off with a large amount of model consensus, especially the high res guidance.

 

Do you have a link to the high res WRF radar simulation?

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DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  

1158 PM CST WED FEB 19 2014  

 

VALID 201200Z - 211200Z  

 

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS PORTIONS OH AND TN VALLEY  

REGIONS TO CENTRAL GULF COAST...  

   

..SYNOPSIS  

 

PROGRESSIVE UPPER-AIR PATTERN IS FCST ACROSS CONUS THIS  

PERIOD...FEATURING INITIALLY DISTINCT SHORTWAVE TROUGHS NOW ANALYZED  

OVER WRN DAKOTAS AND SRN CO/NRN NM REGION. SRN PORTION OF  

MID-UPPER-LEVEL VORTICITY FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH NRN-PLAINS  

PERTURBATION IS EXPECTED TO LINK WITH AMPLIFYING SRN-ROCKIES SYSTEM  

WHILE MOVING EWD ACROSS MAINLY CENTRAL/NRN PLAINS. COMBINED TROUGH  

SHOULD REACH FROM OZARKS TO UPPER MS VALLEY BY 21/06Z. BY THAT  

TIME...ACCOMPANYING/CLOSED 500-MB LOW SHOULD FORM OVER WI. BY END  

OF PERIOD...500-MB LOW SHOULD DEEPEN AND MOVE NEWD TO NNEWD ACROSS  

CENTRAL/WRN UPPER MI...WITH TROUGH ARCHING SEWD OVER WRN LOWER MI  

AND INDIANA THEN SSWWD ACROSS WRN TN. 250-MB JET OF 110-120 KT WAS  

ANALYZED AT 21/00Z OVER CO/NM...AND THIS SPEED MAX SHOULD  

EXPAND/ELONGATE AHEAD OF COMBINED PERTURBATION THROUGH  

PERIOD...WHILE GRADUALLY BECOMING MORE MERIDIONAL.  

 

AT SFC...CYCLONE NOW NEAR CO/KS BORDER SHOULD CONTINUE TO DEEPEN AS  

IT TRAVELS FROM ERN KS TO SWRN WI DURING 20/12-21/00Z TIME FRAME.  

AT THAT TIME...COLD FRONT SHOULD EXTEND IN ARC FROM LOW ACROSS  

CENTRAL-ERN IL...EXTREME WRN KY...SERN AR...AND MIDDLE-UPPER COASTAL  

PLAIN OF TX.  

   

..OH AND TN VALLEY REGIONS TO CENTRAL GULF COAST  

 

SCATTERED-NUMEROUS TSTMS IN BANDS SHOULD POSE PRIMARY THREAT OF  

DAMAGING GUSTS...A FEW OF WHICH MAY REACH 65-KT/SIGNIFICANT-SVR  

CRITERIA. TORNADO RISK EXISTS BUT IS SECONDARY TO DAMAGING TSTM  

WIND IN TERMS OF COVERAGE...DURATION AND NUMBER OF EVENTS PROBABLE.  

ALTHOUGH LOW-LEVEL AND DEEP SHEAR EACH WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR  

SUPERCELLS...LIKELY DOMINANCE OF LINEAR STORM MODE INDICATES  

PREDOMINANT SOURCE OF TORNADO RISK WILL BE QLCS-TYPE SPINUPS AND  

EMBEDDED MESOCIRCULATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LEWPS AND SMALL BOWS.  

TORNADOES WITH SUCH REGIMES TEND BE RELATIVELY SHORT-LIVED AND  

SMALL...BUT ALSO...FAST-MOVING AND RAIN-WRAPPED.  

 

THIN BAND OF CONVECTION MAY DEVELOP DURING AFTN IN ZONE OF STRONG  

FORCING ALONG SFC COLD FRONT...HOWEVER PRIMARY SVR-PRODUCING SWATH  

IS LIKELY TO ARISE IN SW-NE ORIENTED/PREFRONTAL CONVERGENCE ZONE  

FROM LATE AFTN INTO EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS. 50-60 KT EFFECTIVE SHEAR  

MAGNITUDES WILL BE COMMON WHEREVER SFC-BASED INFLOW EXISTS WITH MAIN  

SQUALL LINE. 60S SFC DEW POINTS MAY REACH TO NEAR OH RIVER IN  

NARROW CORRIDOR PRIOR TO TSTMS...BUT RICHEST MOISTURE SHOULD RESIDE  

FROM TN SWD. MLCAPE SHOULD REMAIN BELOW 1000 J/KG OVER MOST OF  

OUTLOOK AREA BECAUSE OF WEAK LAPSE RATES ALOFT...THOUGH POCKETS OF  

PRECONVECTIVE DIABATIC HEATING OVER GULF COAST STATES CAN BOOST  

VALUES HIGHER ON MESOBETA SCALE.  

 

AS TSTM REGIME MOVES EWD ACROSS KY/TN/AL OVERNIGHT...IT WILL OUTPACE  

FAVORABLE DESTABILIZATION/WAA FROM N-S...AND MOVE INTO PROGRESSIVELY  

LOWER-CAPE AIR WITH EWD EXTENT. NET RESULT SHOULD BE DECREASE IN  

OVERALL SVR POTENTIAL FROM NW-SE AND WITH TIME. HOWEVER...BECAUSE  

OF GREATER MOISTURE PREVALENT CLOSER TO GULF COAST...SVR RISK MAY  

LAST FOR MUCH OF OVERNIGHT HOURS AS CONVECTION CROSSES TN VALLEY AND  

GULF-COAST STATES.  

 

FARTHER N OVER NRN PORTIONS INDIANA/OH AND LOWER MI...SVR WIND  

POTENTIAL DIMINISHES DUE TO PROGRESSIVELY WEAKER BUOYANCY.  

ALSO...LOSS OF SFC-BASED PARCELS IS EXPECTED IN RELATION TO  

PROGRESSIVELY DEEPER STABLE LAYER WITH NWD EXTENT...ATOP SNOW PACK.  

MEANWHILE...EVEN FOR THOSE STG/NEAR-SVR GUSTS THAT CAN PENETRATE TO  

SFC...SUBSTANTIAL TREE DAMAGE/TOPPLING ALSO BECOMES LESS PROBABLE  

WITH NWD EXTENT DUE TO FROZEN GROUND AND LACK OF LEAVES.  

   

..MO-IA-IL REGION...MORNING  

 

EXTENSION OF STG LOW-LEVEL WAA REGIME FROM PRIOR PERIOD WILL SUPPORT  

CARRY-OVER POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED TSTMS IN CLUSTERS ACROSS THIS  

REGION. ACTIVITY WILL BE SUPPORTED BY ISENTROPIC LIFT TO  

LFC...AMIDST ELEVATED MUCAPE 500-800 J/KG AND 35-45 KT EFFECTIVE  

SHEAR MAGNITUDES FROM ASSORTED FCST SOUNDINGS. ISOLATED SVR HAIL  

MAY OCCUR WITH THIS ACTIVITY DURING FIRST FEW HOURS OF PERIOD BEFORE  

IT MOVES NNEWD AWAY FROM MOST FAVORABLE ELEVATED INSTABILITY.  

 

..EDWARDS/GUYER.. 02/20/2014  

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Well, I think it would be fair to characterize that outlook as leaning on the conservative side.  With the strong shear and forcing, rapidly deepening surface low and good enough instability, it seems like a pretty textbook setup for a moderate risk type wind event imo.  Maybe there'll be an upgrade on one of the future outlooks.

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Well, I think it would be fair to characterize that outlook as leaning on the conservative side.  With the strong shear and forcing, rapidly deepening surface low and good enough instability, it seems like a pretty textbook setup for a moderate risk type wind event imo.  Maybe there'll be an upgrade on one of the future outlooks.

 

The question I have is what model did they look at with low lapse rates and have the risk that far east, all the mesoscale models have trended north and west all day. The Euro has been further west for a while as well. Only the GFS is that far east and honestly going with the GFS over everything else is a bad idea for many reasons.

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The question I have is what model did they look at with low lapse rates and have the risk that far east, all the mesoscale models have trended north and west all day. The Euro has been further west for a while as well. Only the GFS is that far east and honestly going with the GFS over everything else is a bad idea for many reasons.

 

 

I'm not sure what the lapse rate comment is based on either.  Granted I've only checked GFS/NAM forecast soundings but almost everywhere I've checked has 700-500 mb lapse rates ranging anywhere from a bit under 7 to near 8 C/km

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I'm not sure what the lapse rate comment is based on either.  Granted I've only checked GFS/NAM forecast soundings but almost everywhere I've checked has 700-500 mb lapse rates ranging anywhere from a bit under 7 to near 8 C/km

 

To me that isn't weak lapse rates, anything under 6.5 and realistically 6.0 C/km is weak lapse rates.

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The new day 1 outlook, looks very conservative, due to uncertainties across the risk area. I think later outlooks will expand of the Slight Risk into North into areas of N IL, N IL, OH, W PA. I think there will likely be a Moderate Risk from Western/Central OH, S IN down to KY/TN for damaging winds. I wouldn't be surprised if we a 15% tornado risk area too in that area. I think the tornado risk area will expand and cover a large area from the south to the ohio valley/southern great lakes

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Just South of Bowling Green, KY at 23z

 

You'll notice there is a bit of a BVB profile there with the winds also weakening a bit just above the 700 mb level, although with the strong speed shear throughout the column I'm not sure how much effect that will otherwise have.

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I'm a bit confused by this "cell" in Stephenson County.

 

It pulsed down and then pulsed way back up over the past 6 scans while remaining stationary...a fire perhaps?

 

And as of the most recent scan, completely gone.

 

I was looking at the past radar frames. this cell pulsed up and down before you took the screencap. Large fire or strange anomaly 

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