Another wild night in Tornado Alley
The sirens sounded two more times in tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas last night, as two more twisters tore through the county. However, both tornadoes missed populated areas, as did most of the approximately 75 tornadoes that touched down yesterday. The action should quiet down considerably today; the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed most of Kansas and Nebraska under its "Slight Risk" area for severe weather. Sweetwater, Oklahoma received significant damage from a tornado last night, and we've saved 300 Kb animations of the radar reflectivity and Doppler velocities of the tornado.
It will take a long time for Greensburg to recover from Friday's tornado. To get an idea of the scale of devastation, see the aerial photos posted by the Wichita Eagle. Damage surveys are not yet complete on the tornado, but photos I've seen of the destruction show damage consistent with EF4 winds(168-199 mph). It is possible the storm was an EF5 (winds more than 200 mph). The nine deaths from the tornado bring the U.S. tornado death toll to 68 so far this year, two more than the toll for all of last year.
We've saved some extraordinary 1 Mb animations of the radar reflectivity and Doppler velocities of the tornado. I asked wunderground meteorologist and tornado expert Rob Carver to comment on what's going on in the animations, and here was his analysis:
This was likely an example of cyclic mesocyclogenesis. In a nutshell, the rear-flank downdraft surges out, wraps around and occludes the mesocyclone (Meso A for short). Meso A then veers to the left and dies, this is why tornado family members curve to the left as they dissipate. While Meso A is dying, a new meso spins up and becomes the dominant meso. Now, while I've seen plenty of simulated cyclic cases where the hook retreats when Meso A occludes, I don't think I've seen anything as dramatic.
Figure 1. Radar image of the storm that spawned the Greensburg, KS tornado of May 4, 2007, showing the clearly defined hook echo associated with the twister.
Coastal Carolina storm
The latest (8pm EDT) computer forecast models continue to show a moderately strong coastal storm developing several hundred miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on Monday. The storm will be extratropical in nature when it forms. We'll have a lot of time to watch the storm, as it is expected to meander offshore for five days and gradually weaken. Water temperatures are 22-23 C off of the coast, which may be warm enough to allow the low to acquire some subtropical characteristics and become the season's first named storm. The models are hinting that the storm could remain over water long enough for this to happen, and I put the odds of a Subtropical Storm Andrea forming late this week at about 20%.
Wunderblogger Mike Theiss was out chasing yesterday and caught some of the storms; be sure to tune into his blog over the next few days to read his chase accounts. Stormchaser Dan Robinson posted some video stills of the Greensburg tornado.
Jeff Masters
A big storm moved in on the 3rd. Wasn't as bad as it looked though.
Reader Comments
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 — Blog Index
canadian gem model
interesting has it stregthing with pressure typically seen in a Cat 1 hurricane
Anyone on living near Pembroke Pines ?
My wife's Mom and sister live there
RL~ That would be my guess..
ECMWF
north Florida. Now if only it would go 100 miles to the South lol.
Wind Direction (WDIR): NNE ( 20 deg true )
Wind Speed (WSPD): 36.9 kts
Wind Gust (GST): 46.6 kts
Wave Height (WVHT): 16.1 ft
Atmospheric Pressure (PRES): 29.82 in
I gave them a call and they are now following developments
who stretched the blog ??
I dont see any pics wider that 640.
I have to scroll left to right to read entries. Wasn't that way a while ago
in sunrise, near tamarac, got dark for a few minutes, a little rain but nothing serious or intense. heavier clouds are to the west of my location heading south.
That fixed it. Didn't realise I had it set to show all !!
Change the setting as suggested. Worked for me
booooooooooo!!!! the blog is stretched!!
weathersp <--- his/her fault!
Please, please fix your pic, weathersp
Man that is a pain!
Thanks Guys
Lot of dry air in there right now.
Would take alot of things to happen to get those Boomers to form into anything special
Drak, I think once it gets in lower shear it will be able to create more moisture. It is just now getting near some reasonably warm SSTs in the Gulf Stream and the shear should drop off over the next 24 or so.
Air temps are still too cool out that way for anything to blow up
I have been checking that on and off, but that is the first I saw of the blue square....
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
205 PM EDT SUN MAY 06 2007
FROM A 1012 MB SFC LOW NEAR
THE OUTER BANK TO SOUTH GEORGIA
Time to rig the sailboat perhaps and be like Gary Sinese in Forest Gump...
You guys are killin me. :)
There are no tropical storms/hurricanes forming off the South East. The air, water, winds, pressure, and temperatures do not support any theory in these areas. The storms will come soon enough.
Viewing: 451 - 501
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 — Blog Index