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Thursday low topped convective threat


weatherwiz

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Looks like our unofficial official start to severe weather season starts off appropriately on Thursday, May 1st as we will have the potential for some thunderstorms.  While the entire region may have the potential, the higher likelihood may be confined to areas south of the MA Pike and perhaps moreso across the south coast and especially southeastern MA.  

 

A very slow moving area of low pressure off to our west will push a warm front northward.  Typically in these setups the models can be too aggressive with how far north the warm front gets so it isn't clear cut as to how far north the warm front will get.  Regardless, south of where the warm front resides, dewpoints should climb close to or perhaps a few ticks above the 60F mark.  This will be fueled by a pretty steep increase in theta-e values.  

 

While widespread cloudiness should prevail, there are some hints that some breaks of sun may occur, this will help to drive temperatures perhaps into the upper 60's to near 70F, especially south of the warm front where a warmer llvl airmass will reside.  

 

Meanwhile, a cold front will be approaching from the west and will work to increase lift as it approaches.  The combination of a warm/moist low level airmass and some fairly cold temperatures aloft will yield to not only a presence of elevated instability (we could see MUcape values approach 750-1000 J/KG in spots) but some weak surface-based instability indicated by LI values nearing as low as -2C and SBcape values perhaps as high as 500 J/KG (dependent on any degree of surface heating).  TT values are also modeled to be in the upper 40's to near 50F.  

 

With a moist llvl airmass in place and enhanced lift (strong isentropic lift thanks to warm front in vicinity) the main threat on Thursday will certainly be downpours with isolated flash flood threat, especially for areas which receive the most rain between now and Thursday.  

 

However, portions of southern New England will also be close to the triple point.  It will be within this zone where the potential for low topped thunderstorms may form.  While typically low topped convection is associated with little to no lightning, this may be a case where there may be a bit more in the way of lightning if any convection develops.  If any convection were to develop, the strongest cores would be capable of producing some small hail along with some strong winds, given winds aloft are fairly strong.  

 

Slightly diminishing the small hail threat is the lack of stronger steeper mid-level lapse rates.  However, during the early morning hours, some models have a swath of near 6.5-7 C/KM move overhead.  

 

The best threat for convection may actually be oriented more towards early to late morning, however, can't rule anything out later in the day as the cold front pushes through.  

 

Could end up being a SEE TEXT type of day!

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Nice write-up, wiz!

I doubt we see much of anything besides maybe a few rumbled. Either way, here's hoping!

 

Thanks!

 

The push of fairly decent (for this time of year) MUcape is rather interesting and with TT's hovering in the upper 40's to near 50 certainly keeps this possibility on the table.  Models also have some pretty decent lift pushing through southern CT into RI and SE MA during the early AM hours as well.  

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I've been watching Thursday for a few days too. It's never too early in the season to be disappointed.

 

Looks like we have a small window where some convection would be possible...just have to see if and when that second warm punch moves through and how dewpoints respond.  NAM seems a bit aggressive, bumping dews up to 60F into NNE and develops as much as 500-750 J/KG of SBcape.  

 

Regardless for whoever warm sectors the heaviest showers are going to be convective in nature and probably produce some gusty winds.  

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Nice early summer feel tomorrow for areas south of the pike. 

 

THOUGH STRONG LOW- TO MID-LEVEL FORCING COLLOCATED WITH RICHER
STREAM OF GULF MOISTURE SHIFTS OFFSHORE ALONG WITH WIDESPREAD RAINS
AND EMBEDDED HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WESTERN AND CENTRAL
PORTIONS OF S NEW ENGLAND BECOME ENVELOPED WITHIN THE WARM-SECTOR
WHERE H925 TEMPS WARM TO +15C. HIGHS GETTING UP AROUND THE UPPER-60S
WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS LIKELY TOPPING 70-DEGREES!

AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT TO THE REAR OF WHICH DRY-SLOTTING DEVELOPS
THERE MAY BE A PERIOD OF DESTABILIZATION ALLOWING FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS /AS THE WRF-ARW AND WRF-NMM SOLUTIONS WOULD
SUGGEST/. EVALUATING MODEL SOUNDINGS...SHOULD THE SUN APPEAR WARMING
THE BOUNDARY-LAYER CONSIDERABLY...COULD SEE INSTABILITY VALUES UP TO
1000 J/KG. BUT THIN CAPES UP AGAINST STRONG SW-NE STRAIGHT-LINE WIND
SHEAR INHIBITS THE VERTICAL-EXTENT OF UPDRAFTS KEEPING THEM LOW-
TOPPED.

ROBUST PWATS UP TO 1.5-INCHES LINGERING...STORMS LIKELY TO BRING
BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND PERHAPS URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE IMPACTS.
WILL LIKELY SEE ACTIVITY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING COMMUTE.
NOT QUITE CERTAIN ON SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTS...BUT THE SITUATION
BEARS WATCHING AND FURTHER ANALYSIS.

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Well as far as tomorrow goes looks like we will have two windows for thunderstorms.

 

The first window will be in the early morning hours.  During this time we will see an increase in theta-e air along with an increase in dewpoints as a warm front pushes through.  This will also be enhanced by an increasing LLJ max which moves through early morning hours.  The Euro/GFS are bring a pocket of 700-500mb lapse rates of 7 C/KM overhead while the llvl airmass becomes warmer and more moist.  This combination actually leads to several hundred J/KG of SBcape and MUcape values withTT's spiking into the lower 50's.  

 

Besides the threat for heavier rainfall tomorrow morning we will likely see thunderstorms around as well posing a threat for some small hail and gusty winds.  

 

After morning activity models hint at some drying air moving in aloft...this will lead to the possibility of some sun breaking out, especially across eastern NY into W CT/W MA.  If this does indeed happen, temps could reach the 70F mark along with dewpoints near 60F, if not a few ticks higher.  While mlvl lapse rates do weaken, the presence of a warm and moist llvl airmass coupled with the possibility of some surface heating could lead to another boost of instability.  

 

With a cold front sliding east, enough evidence may be in place for another round of heavier downpours and thunderstorms, this time with the main threat with any storms being more strong winds than hail...although given low WBZ's small hail would be a possibility.  

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For Sunday? One of those deals where we have a strong s/w moving in, but probably limited instability. It could easily go poof, but as is...it looked a little interesting.

 

GFS really increases lapse rates...has mlvl lapse rates increase 7-8 C/KM!  Strong s/w associated with what looks like a cold pool?  Instability should be lacking quite a bit though given how dewpoints look to only be in the low 40's then increasing to mid 40's.  Maybe see some scattered pop up stuff?

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GFS really increases lapse rates...has mlvl lapse rates increase 7-8 C/KM!  Strong s/w associated with what looks like a cold pool?  Instability should be lacking quite a bit though given how dewpoints look to only be in the low 40's then increasing to mid 40's.  Maybe see some scattered pop up stuff?

 

Verbatim it looked like a decent line in NNE.

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Line of boomer in western mass, literally across the last 3 frames of rad

 

They have been trying their best to get some vertical height but like mentioned in BOX AFD shear is so strong and with such weak updrafts thanks to weak Cape values they are just getting torn apart...this line though getting up to the 20K mark.

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