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Friday, October 9th, 2015 low topped t'storm threat


weatherwiz

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When it comes to convection, fall means one thing and one thing only here...low topped convection.  While these events (setups) don't pan out most of the time, they provide a great deal of interest b/c that one time they do produce something, it can pack a punch.  

 

On Friday a warm front is expected to push into and through southern New England out ahead of an advancing cold front and a strengthening trough associated with a vigorous piece of energy at 500mb.  Within the warm sector, surface dewpoints are expected to climb into the lower 60's and surface temperatures in the upper 60's to lower 70's (dependent on degree of sun of course).  As evident by PWAT values increasing to 1.5'' to 1.8'' the low-level airmass will be quite moist.  

 

The combination of a moist low-level airmass, temps around 70F (maybe a few ticks higher) and increasing (steepening mid-level lapse rates) may be enough to yield as much as several hundred J/KG of SBcape and moreso of elevated instability.  While instability values aren't screaming high when juxtaposed with strong shear, that can be enough.  

 

Forecast models develop a fairly decent 500mb jet streak (50-65 knots) crossing the region between 18z and 0z.  Low-level shear is expected to increase as well, anywhere from 25-40 knots from 925mb up through 700mb.  

 

If we can muster up enough instability Friday might be worth watching for a few strong storms!

 

 

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The NAM is showing decent hodographs in the lowest 1-1.5km. While the trend has been for more veering winds, the NAM still maintains an environment that could support a few severe thunderstorms.

 

The most realistic scenario is probably a line or broken line with a few stronger wind gusts mixing down. There is some room for the setup to improve though.

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The NAM is showing decent hodographs in the lowest 1-1.5km. While the trend has been for more veering winds, the NAM still maintains an environment that could support a few severe thunderstorms.

 

The most realistic scenario is probably a line or broken line with a few stronger wind gusts mixing down. There is some room for the setup to improve though.

 

the one thing that annoys me about these setups is the strongest winds typically occur out ahead of the approaching line (or cell).  So you get all amped up seeing the winds before everything starts and then once the precip occurs and the outflow chokes of the inflow its just rain with maybe a gust or two.  

 

I'm actually a little intrigued with the lapse rates here b/c they don't look awful...often times they blow with these setups but you have a vigorous s/w associated with very cold air and pretty decent height falls.  

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At any rate it will make my short term midnight shifts interesting.

 

These setups are really a big pain in the ass.  9/10 times they ate nothing but b/c of the parameters in place, you have to watch extremely closely at anything that develops.  

 

When it comes to these setups I always try and think back about previous setups...either that produced something or didn't and try to find a distinguishable difference...and often times it isn't easy b/c it usually comes down to the mesoscale level.  

 

There are two features though that I'm really interested in

 

1) the 500mb MLJ streak modeled to almost arrive at a perfect time

 

2) advection of steeper lapse rates 

 

#1 really draws my interest b/c one factor that typically always lacks here (maybe moreso than lapse rates...or at least equal) is the lack of a good solid jet streak moving in as convection is occurring or initiating...too many times the shear lags the front.  

 

I can even add a #3 here and that is height falls...the height falls modeled are quite impressive actually, especially in the potential environment we may have.  Substantial height falls can really compensate for other parameters that may be lacking, especially in the cool season.  

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These setups are really a big pain in the ass.  9/10 times they ate nothing but b/c of the parameters in place, you have to watch extremely closely at anything that develops.  

 

When it comes to these setups I always try and think back about previous setups...either that produced something or didn't and try to find a distinguishable difference...and often times it isn't easy b/c it usually comes down to the mesoscale level.  

 

There are two features though that I'm really interested in

 

1) the 500mb MLJ streak modeled to almost arrive at a perfect time

 

2) advection of steeper lapse rates 

 

#1 really draws my interest b/c one factor that typically always lacks here (maybe moreso than lapse rates...or at least equal) is the lack of a good solid jet streak moving in as convection is occurring or initiating...too many times the shear lags the front.  

 

I can even add a #3 here and that is height falls...the height falls modeled are quite impressive actually, especially in the potential environment we may have.  Substantial height falls can really compensate for other parameters that may be lacking, especially in the cool season.  

 

New England will be sitting in a pretty favorable location for the amplifying right entrance region of the upper level jet too.

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New England will be sitting in a pretty favorable location for the amplifying right entrance region of the upper level jet too.

 

and forecasted to be 100-110 knots...pretty freaking awesome.  Actually it's not often at all we are in a favorable ULJ quadrant...while in the warm sector.  That seems much more of a difficult feat around here than getting a MLJ streak to slide through during favorable timing.  

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Looks like a subtle trough moves through around midday across SNE (warm front is earlier in the day) and while the 4km NAM shows a marked increase in 0-3km SRH, on the order of 400-600 mss-1, low-level helicities are not particularly impressive and there is little to no instability forecast at the time.

 

Edit to note that low level shear is pretty solid, as 12km NAM forecast soundings show 30-40kts of 0-1km shear.

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Not even a marginal risk here from SPC. Isolated wind damage is about as far as I would go. Instability stinks. Why couldn't we have this type of setup a couple months ago. ?

You'll probably see an expansion of the MRGL risk tonight on both the southern and northern edge. (I could see them bringing it up into NYC/CT and further SW across the Middle Appalachians)
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BOX finally seeing what folks on here saw 2 days ago

 

HIS SYNOPTIC SETUP YIELDS A HIGH SHEAR/LOW CAPE ENVIRONMENT WITH 0-

1 KM SHEAR OF 20-30 KT THIS AFTERNOON. TYPICALLY THE CASE IN THESE
EVENTS - WILL THERE BE SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY FOR AN
ISOLATED T-STORM WITH STRONG WINDS. WHILE MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE
NOT IMPRESSIVE...0-3KM AND 925MB-700 LAPSE RATES ARE MARGINAL 6-
6.5C/KM WITH A FOCUS ACROSS CT/RI AND SOUTH OF THE MASS PIKE IN
WESTERN-CENTRAL MA. THIS IS A RESULT OF STRONG LOW LEVEL WARM AIR
ADVECTION WITH SFC DEW PTS CLIMBING INTO THE L60S TODAY ACROSS THE
AREA ALONG WITH SURFACE TEMPS RISING INTO THE L70S. BOTH ANOMALOUS
FOR EARLY OCT.

WHAT COULD BE THE WILD CARD TO POTENTIAL STORMS IS ADDITIONAL JET
ENERGY DIVING INTO THE BASE OF THE TROUGH LATER TODAY YIELDING A 100
KT UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WILL ENHANCE
THE FORCING FOR ASCENT AS WELL INCREASE WIND FIELDS. THE HI RES GUID
SUCH AS THE ARW AND NMM HINT AT THIS WITH A SHARP INCREASE IN QPF
AND MODEL SIMULATED REFLECTIVITY AFTER 18Z ACROSS THE REGION AHEAD
OF THE COLD FRONT.

SO WHILE MOST OF THE AREA WILL JUST SEE HEAVY SHOWERS AND GUSTY
WINDS THERE IS A LOW RISK OF AN ISOLATED STRONG T-STORM. IF LOW
LEVEL LAPSE RATES/INSTABILITY IS GREATER THAN MODELS SIMULATE THERE
IS A VERY LOW RISK THAT A STRONG STORM COULD YIELD A BRIEF ISOLATED
TORNADO.

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BOX finally seeing what folks on here saw 2 days ago

 

HIS SYNOPTIC SETUP YIELDS A HIGH SHEAR/LOW CAPE ENVIRONMENT WITH 0-

1 KM SHEAR OF 20-30 KT THIS AFTERNOON. TYPICALLY THE CASE IN THESE

EVENTS - WILL THERE BE SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY FOR AN

ISOLATED T-STORM WITH STRONG WINDS. WHILE MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE

NOT IMPRESSIVE...0-3KM AND 925MB-700 LAPSE RATES ARE MARGINAL 6-

6.5C/KM WITH A FOCUS ACROSS CT/RI AND SOUTH OF THE MASS PIKE IN

WESTERN-CENTRAL MA. THIS IS A RESULT OF STRONG LOW LEVEL WARM AIR

ADVECTION WITH SFC DEW PTS CLIMBING INTO THE L60S TODAY ACROSS THE

AREA ALONG WITH SURFACE TEMPS RISING INTO THE L70S. BOTH ANOMALOUS

FOR EARLY OCT.

WHAT COULD BE THE WILD CARD TO POTENTIAL STORMS IS ADDITIONAL JET

ENERGY DIVING INTO THE BASE OF THE TROUGH LATER TODAY YIELDING A 100

KT UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WILL ENHANCE

THE FORCING FOR ASCENT AS WELL INCREASE WIND FIELDS. THE HI RES GUID

SUCH AS THE ARW AND NMM HINT AT THIS WITH A SHARP INCREASE IN QPF

AND MODEL SIMULATED REFLECTIVITY AFTER 18Z ACROSS THE REGION AHEAD

OF THE COLD FRONT.

SO WHILE MOST OF THE AREA WILL JUST SEE HEAVY SHOWERS AND GUSTY

WINDS THERE IS A LOW RISK OF AN ISOLATED STRONG T-STORM. IF LOW

LEVEL LAPSE RATES/INSTABILITY IS GREATER THAN MODELS SIMULATE THERE

IS A VERY LOW RISK THAT A STRONG STORM COULD YIELD A BRIEF ISOLATED

TORNADO.

 

Enjoy your damage!

post-44-0-35794600-1444391194_thumb.gif

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The 11z RAP bufkit profile for HFD isn't terrible later on.  Would like to see some more cape in the 0-3km level but cape in the 0-4 to 0-6km levels aren't horrid.  Maybe a bit stronger shear too...its right around 23-26 m/s...26-30 would be a little better

Tennis balls and wedges or bust.

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