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Labor Day Weekend Severe Threat


MCS_hunter

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I figured I would get a thread started for the possibility of severe weather this weekend (mainly Sunday).  Spc had a Day 5 outlook for Sunday and now has an expanded Day 4.

 

day48prob.gif

 

...DISCUSSION...   THE GFS AND ECMWF APPEAR TO BE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH   ROUGHLY DAY 6 /TUE 9-2/ WITH RESPECT TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE   LARGE-SCALE PATTERN.  BOTH MODELS DEPICT THE ADVANCE OF A FAIRLY   STRONG UPPER TROUGH INTO THE CENTRAL U.S. DAY 4 /SUN 8-31/...ALONG   WITH AN ASSOCIATED/SHARP COLD FRONTAL PROGRESSION.  ON DAY 5...THE   MAIN PUNCH OF SHORT-WAVE ENERGY WITHIN THE LARGER-SCALE TROUGH IS   PROGGED TO SHIFT QUICKLY NEWD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO/ACROSS   ONTARIO...LEAVING A MUCH-LESS-AMPLIFIED CYCLONIC FLOW FIELD IN ITS   WAKE.  BY DAY 6...A NEARLY ZONAL UPPER PATTERN IS FORECAST ACROSS   THE U.S. -- THOUGH A TROUGH SHIFTING SEWD OUT OF THE GULF OF AK/WRN   CANADA WILL BEGIN AFFECTING THE PAC NW LATE.  MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH   RESPECT TO THE HANDLING OF THIS TROUGH THROUGH BECOME INCREASINGLY   APPARENT DAY 7 AND BEYOND.   THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL SEVERE RISK THIS PERIOD REMAINS APPARENT DAY 4   FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS NEWD TO THE UPPER MS VALLEY...AS THE UPPER   TROUGH SHIFTS INTO/ACROSS THIS AREA.  AS THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT   ADVANCES INTO A MOIST/DESTABILIZING AFTERNOON AIRMASS...VIGOROUS   THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR.  WITH A BELT OF 40 TO   50 KT SWLY FLOW PROGGED TO SPREAD ACROSS THE MID MO VALLEY VICINITY   THROUGH THE DAY ATOP LOW-LEVEL WARM-SECTOR SSELYS...SHEAR WILL   BECOME FAVORABLE FOR ROTATING STORMS.  AS A RESULT...A RISK FOR   LARGE HAIL AND LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS -- AND POSSIBLY A FEW   TORNADOES -- SEEMS LIKELY TO MATERIALIZE...PARTICULARLY WITHIN A   ZONE FROM NRN KS NNEWD INTO MN/WRN WI DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY   EVENING HOURS...AND THEN INTO IA/NWRN MO THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.   WIDESPREAD CONVECTION IS FORECAST AT THE START OF DAY 5 ACROSS THE   MID AND UPPER MS VALLEY/UPPER GREAT LAKES AREA...AS THE STRONGEST   UVV SPREADS NEWD INTO ONTARIO WITH TIME.  WIDESPREAD   CLOUDS/PRECIPITATION AND THUS LIMITED DESTABILIZATION POTENTIAL   WOULD APPEAR TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER.    BY DAY 6...A BELT OF FAST WLY FLOW ALOFT SHOULD RESIDE ACROSS THE   NRN HALF OF THE CONUS...BUT WITH A WEAKENING/INCREASINGLY W-E   ORIENTED FRONT EXTENDING ACROSS THE MIDWEST AND INTO THE   PLAINS...LOCATION AND DEGREE OF SEVERE POTENTIAL APPEAR TOO   UNCERTAIN TO WARRANT ANY AREAL HIGHLIGHTS ATTM.   ..GOSS.. 08/28/2014

 

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Greatest threat looks like Sunday and the models have been fairly consistent in zoning in on the area from northeastern Kansas into southeastern Nebraska, far northwestern Missouri and southwestern Iowa.

 

The 12z Euro came in with a strengthening LLJ of 40-50 knots across this area, with a SW flow at 850 and a backed near-surface flow of SSE across this area. Morning cloud debris is a concern, although the Euro looks to minimize that and allows for SBCAPE to increase to 2,000 to 3,000 J/kg. Precip blossoms intensely across southeastern Nebraska by late afternoon and early evening. Although severe appears to be increasingly probable, there's also a heavy rain signal, which parts of the area do not need either.

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Seems like rinse, wash and repeat for the Nebraska threats this year, the OAX CWA has been hit particularly hard and as it looks right now, they are in the middle of the highest risk region for this one.

 

Also WRT the Euro, its LLJ becomes southerly by 21z Sunday, rather than southwesterly.

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Little quiet in here today, what's everyone thinking for tomorrow?

 

The shear is a little weak but the instability is impressive. Shear vectors are nicely perpendicular to the front but frontal speed could be a problem if the divergence arrives earlier than expected and erodes whatever cap is left. Lapse rates are impressive but eventually everything is going to go, I think. Trying to debate whether or not to make the drive from Grand Forks.

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Looking at a forecast sounding for NW Iowa for 00z tomorrow, I see there's about 3000-4000 J/kg of CAPE, 0-3km helicity of 200 m2/s2, The shear looks a little complicated, with 40kt at 700mb, 25 kt at 500mb, and 40 kt at 400mb. The SPC SREF plots show that the STP will be from 2 to 4.  I think this area could get a few supercells. I think there will be 50-100 hail/wind reports with a couple of tornadoes. None of the recent severe weather setups have been amazing.

 

1730z Day 2 SPC discussion (refer to full discussion)

 

--

 FORECAST SOUNDINGS ALONG THE INSTABILITY CORRIDOR FROM OMAHA NEB   NNEWD TO MINNEAPOLIS MN FOR 00Z/MONDAY SHOW AN IMPRESSIVE   THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT WITH MLCAPE IN THE 1500 TO 2500 J/KG RANGE   WITH 850 TO 500 MB LAPSE RATES NEAR 8.0 C/KM. THIS COMBINED WITH   0-6K SHEAR AROUND 40 KT SHOULD BE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS WITH   LARGE HAIL. 
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I'm thinking if you want to have a chance of seeing tornadoes your going to have to be near Sioux City, IA.  But, a big squall line looks probable so if storms merge too fast that tornado chance could be low.  Personally, I think this setup is garbage.

garbage for tornadoes, yea, they'll be the early on mode, like you said, SUX-RWF-OMA. but squall-line based wind and hail damage, probably one of the better setups of the year. kinda sad really for a severe-weather season/year in Minnesota. Saskatchewan seems like they have had a better severe season than we have had. but i guess that's not a bad thing given the flooding we had earlier this year in the Minnesota River Valley.

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I'm with you all. It's not a very good setup for tornadoes. The wind shear at the various levels are out of phase. And depending on which model you look at the bulk shear is on the low side for supercells anyway. LCL heights are another matter. I think the ECMWF still makes the best case, but I'm not super impressed with it either. UH outputs from the storm scale models aren't much to write about except for the HRW-ARW which is simulating one good cell. I still think a moderate level outbreak could be in the cards though for the hail and high winds.

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Personally liking the I80 corridor from Kearney to Grand Island maybe out to York Nebraska for Sunday - for a tornado chance. Subtle convergence along front and a pretty strong 40 to 50 kt 500 mb streak punching through there at just the right time - should be enough ( 21 to 0z ). NAM hinting at secondary surface low development in western KS Nebraska that may enhanced that boundary and give us more backed flow ahead of it into Central Nebraska - giving us a more curved hodograph with south to southeasterly winds at surface curving back to westerly at mid levels. 0z GFS picking up on similar feature - though not as deep a low.

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http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/md/md1645.html

 

well, there is this MD now out for initiation in the next little bit for whatever happens here. how bad, I'm not sure.

 

but if I were to speculate on watch configuration, as I did on twitter, here's how I see it...

 

tornado watch (tornado/winds/hail): AXN (Alexandria MN) > STC (St Cloud) > AXA (Algona IA) > STJ > HLC (Hill City, KS) > YKN (Yankton) > ETH (Wheaton)

severe t-storm watch (mainly winds, maybe hail and flash flooding): STC > RPD (Rice Lake) > ONA (Winona) > ALO (Waterloo IA) > IRK (Kirksville) > edge of torn box

 

but that's my opinion. what's your thoughts?

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Tornado watch only extends to the Iowa/Minnesota border.  Not great probabilities to go along with it but given this setup, it's not a surprise.

 

true. severe t-storm mode will probably be the main one to worry about later on. but I do understand there is a "Journey" concert going on over in Norfolk NE attm. I guess they didn't stop believin' over there. just hope they can get the fans out of there for the storm coming up from Boone County NE (the one in Pierce should stay north of where the concert is, hopefully).

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