The Wall

(C) Steve Douglass

the Green monster.. and chaser Dale S.

The Dryline Approaches!

Storm chasers both love and hate the "dryline" a sharp boundary between dry-cool and moist warm atmosphere.

Although the collision between these two air-masses spawn the storms that chasers love to chase, once it passes through an area- game over.

No more storms for the day.



(C) Steve Douglass

Major inflow

Please click to enlarge this photo to experience the beauty of this amazing storm.

(C) Steve Douglass

Funnels near Pantex

(C) Steve Douglass






Quick & brief spin-ups near Pantex last evening.

Storm Panaorama

Click on the image to see the full scope of this magnificent storm.




-Steve Douglass

Backside Anvil

Self portrait with inflow jet.

-Steve

Just one from tonight's chase ...

Shot just east of Panhandle, Texas on Hwy 60 East of Amarillo at sunset.

I'll post later - but I'm running out of adrenaline and very tired. Check back in the morning.

(C) Steve Douglass

Latest weather outlook

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0259 PM CDT WED APR 29 2009

AREAS AFFECTED...TX/OK PANHANDLES...SWRN KS

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH POSSIBLE

VALID 291959Z - 292130Z

SEVERE THREAT WILL INCREASE AS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED TSTMS SHOULD
INITIATE ACROSS SERN CO INTO THE TX PANHANDLE. VERY STEEP
LOW/MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES RESULTING IN MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL
SUPPORT POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HOWEVER...WEAK
MID/HIGH-LEVEL FLOW MAY TEMPER THE AMPLITUDE AND AREAL EXTENT OF THE
OVERALL THREAT. THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED FOR A
POSSIBLE WW.

RECENT VISIBLE SATELLITE/SURFACE ANALYSIS DEPICT TCU BUILDUPS
INCREASING ACROSS FAR SERN CO NEAR A CYCLONE CENTERED AROUND 30 SE
LAA AND IN PATCHES ALONG THE DRY LINE THAT EXTENDED SWD THROUGH THE
TX PANHANDLE. THE MOST LIKELY AREA OF TSTM INITIATION SHOULD BE NEAR
THE SURFACE LOW WHERE CONVERGENCE APPEARS GREATEST. THIS SHOULD THEN
EVOLVE EWD INTO AN AXIS OF MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY LYING FROM
SWRN KS THROUGH WRN TX WITH MLCAPES OF 2000 TO 3000 J/KG. ALTHOUGH
AREA PROFILER/VWP DATA INDICATE RATHER MODEST MID/HIGH-LEVEL FLOW
BETWEEN BELTS OF STRONGER NRN/SRN STREAM WLYS...VEERED KINEMATIC
PROFILES SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR UPDRAFT ORGANIZATION GIVEN THE
PRESENCE OF STEEP LOW/MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. LARGE HAIL AND SEVERE
WINDS WOULD LIKELY BE THE PRIMARY THREATS WITH PERHAPS AN ISOLATED
TORNADO.

Today's Severe Forecast

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0751 AM CDT WED APR 29 2009

VALID 291300Z - 301200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER PARTS OF THE SRN AND CNTRL
PLNS...

...SYNOPSIS...
BROAD BAND OF LOW AMPLITUDE CYCLONIC FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE
PLNS...S AND E OF ELONGATING UPR LOW OVER THE PACIFIC NW/NRN RCKYS.
THE LOW SHOULD REDEVELOP E INTO THE NRN PLNS TONIGHT/EARLY THU AS
STRONG SPEED MAX NOW ENTERING THE NRN GRT BASIN CONTINUES ENE INTO
WY AND THE DAKOTAS. FARTHER S...A SPEED MAX IN THE WEAKER SRN
STREAM...NOW OVER NW MEXICO/SRN AZ...SHOULD REACH WRN/CNTRL TX BY
EVE...AND LA/AR EARLY THU.

AT THE SFC...EXPECT DIFFUSE WARM FRONT TO CONTINUE REDEVELOPING NWD
ACROSS THE SRN/CNTRL PLNS...WHILE A SEPARATE WARM FRONT EVOLVES MUCH
FARTHER N ACROSS THE NRN PLNS/UPR MS VLY IN ASSOCIATION WITH LEE
CYCLONE IN WRN SD. OVER THE SRN PLNS...A REMNANT FRONTAL
SEGMENT/OUTFLOW BOUNDARY LIKELY WILL PERSIST FOR AT LEAST PART OF
THE DAY INVOF THE RED RVR AND NW TX.

...SRN PLNS...
LOOSELY-ORGANIZED MCS NOW OVER NW TX/SW OK SHOULD CONTINUE GENERALLY
E THROUGH THE MORNING...WITH NEW CELL DEVELOPMENT MOST LIKELY ON ITS
SRN AND SERN FLANKS. RELATIVE WEAKNESS IN THE 700-500 MB FLOW
LIKELY WILL LIMIT STRENGTH/LONGEVITY OF INDIVIDUAL STORMS. BUT
GIVEN QUALITY OF MOIST INFLOW /PW AROUND 1.40 INCHES/ AND LOW LVL
SHEAR ASSOCIATED WITH 40+ KT LLJ...POTENTIAL WILL REMAIN FOR
EMBEDDED LEWPS/SMALL BOWS WITH WET MICROBURSTS AND MARGINALLY SVR
HAIL.

SW OF THE MCS...STRONG SFC HEATING SHOULD OCCUR THIS AFTN ALONG AND
S OF TRAILING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY/LINGERING WARM FRONTAL SEGMENT OVER
NW AND W CNTRL TX. COMBINATION OF HEATING WITH RICH BOUNDARY LAYER
MOISTURE AND STEEP MID LVL LAPSE RATES SHOULD BOOST SBCAPE TO AOA
2500 J/KG. MAX SFC TEMPERATURES SHOULD OCCUR JUST ABOUT THE TIME
THAT LEADING EDGE OF PREVIOUSLY-MENTIONED SRN STREAM SPEED MAX
OVERSPREADS THE REGION. WITH 500 MB WSWLY FLOW INCREASING TO AOA 40
KTS...SETUP SHOULD PROVE FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DISCRETE
SUPERCELLS. THESE COULD PRODUCE A FEW TORNADOES...IN ADDITION TO
VERY LARGE HAIL AND LOCALLY DMGG WINDS THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT.

...CNTRL PLNS...
SFC-BASED INSTABILITY WILL ALSO INCREASE OVER THE CNTRL PLNS TODAY
AS HEATING OCCURS ALONG AXIS OF LOW LVL MOISTURE RETURN WITH LLJ.
THE GREATEST DESTABILIZATION SHOULD OCCUR ALONG WRN EDGE OF THE LLJ
IN WRN KS...WHERE HEATING WILL BE MAXIMIZED BENEATH EML. FARTHER
N...DESTABILIZATION MAY MAXIMIZE ALONG DEVELOPING COLD FRONT/TROUGH
IN WRN/CNTRL NEB AND S CNTRL SD. FORCING FOR ASCENT SHOULD REMAIN
WEAK AS REGION WILL LIE S OF GRT BASIN SPEED MAX AND N OF JET STREAK
AFFECTING THE SRN PLNS. BUT LOW LVL CONVERGENCE ALONG LEE
TROUGH/DRY LINE IN KS...ALONG COLD FRONT IN NEB...AND NEAR TRIPLE
POINT IN SD...SHOULD SUPPORT SCTD AFTN/EVE STORMS. SOME OF THESE
COULD BECOME WEAK SUPERCELLS OR AT LEAST SUFFICIENTLY SUSTAINED TO
YIELD LARGE HAIL/LOCALLY DMGG WIND AND PERHAPS A TORNADO.

FARTHER E...STRONG TSTMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ALONG WARM FRONT
SEGMENT OVER THE LWR MO VLY...WHERE MOISTURE WILL INCREASE ALONG LLJ
ON ERN FRINGE OF EML. RELATIVELY WEAK LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR
ASCENT AND LIMITED SFC HEATING SHOULD LIMIT ASSOCIATED SVR THREAT.

...AR/TN VLY...
SFC HEATING INVOF DIFFUSE WARM FRONT AND/OR ON ERN FRINGE OF CLOUD
SHIELD ASSOCIATED WITH OK/TX MCS SHOULD YIELD A FAVORABLE
THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR AFTN STORMS OVER PARTS OF AR AND THE
TN VLY GIVEN A NWD SURGE OF MOISTURE ON ERN SIDE OF SRN PLNS LLJ.
HOWEVER...REGION WILL BE WELL REMOVED FROM STRONGER FLOW ALOFT...
AND MID LVL LAPSE RATES WILL REMAIN WEAK. THUS...OVERALL SVR THREAT
SHOULD BE LOW.

..CORFIDI/SMITH.. 04/29/2009

Boheeka! Busted Storm Chase.

Went for a chase today - sorta. It was destined for failure from the get-go. Got off late had some "rat killing" to do before I was free to chase so as a result we (me and my niece Kristen) didn't get out of town until 4:00 PM.

I looked at the radar, and although there were plenty of storms in the Northeastern Panhandle, they were moving fast (over 40 mph) and I figured we could never catch them, so we headed down 287 hoping that something would pop up in the Childress area.

Once we got down the Childress, the storms didn't cooperate like I had figured and we sat their looking at plain old high-precipitation, run-of-the-mill non severe thunderstorms. We waited around awhile to see if they would go severe and they didn't .

Somewhere's about 7:30 PM as the "mushy" storms to our east began to move into Oklahoma taking with them any chance of seeing a tornado I cried "Boheeka" did a 180 and headed back to Amarillo.

I consoled myself with the fact that the season is just beginning and their will be other opportunities, including a good possibility on both Tuesday and Wednesday for some severe weather.

The only photo I took is the one attached. It shows some minor build-ups on the dryline, the invisible boundary between the dry air mass to the west and the moist ocean of water vapor streaming up from the Gulf.

It was pretty, but its like catching a sunfish instead of the shark you envisioned.

-Steve

Storms sweep through Midwest, damage several homes

6 hours ago

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Severe thunderstorms raked parts of the Midwest on Saturday, killing a motorcyclist, spawning tornadoes that damaged several homes and sent race fans fleeing, snarling air traffic and knocking out power.

Lightning struck a group of motorcyclists on U.S. 24 between Perry and Granville in northeastern Kansas, killing a 45-year-old Lawrence man, Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig said.

A man riding next to the victim was treated and released at a Topeka hospital, Herrig said. The other five cyclists, all members of Bikers Against Child Abuse who were returning home after visiting children they had helped in the past, were not injured.

Tornadoes touched down in southern Leavenworth County, Mo., northwest of Linwood, and in Butler County, Kan. No injuries were immediately reported.

Power lines were downed and several homes and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed around Reno township near Interstate 70, said Mike Stewart of the Leavenworth County emergency management office.

Julie Adolphson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill said most of the damage reported after the storm was moderate, but some outbuildings between Linwood and Tonganoxie were destroyed.

Storms packing hail and lightning led the Kansas Speedway to suspend the NASCAR truck race 52 laps into the race.

About 30 minutes after the race was called, tornado sirens went off at the track and a local TV station showed a twister on the ground to the southwest. Most of the fans had already left by then, but others sought cover.

The race will resume on Monday.

One home was damaged and one outbuilding was destroyed in Butler County, in south-central Kansas, authorities said.

In Enid, Okla., search and rescue crews went door to door to check on residents after an apparent tornado touched down late Saturday. There were no reports of serious injuries, but the storm ripped off roofs, tipped over trailers and downed power lines. The storm damaged the roof of the county expo center and battered cars and trailers parked there for a home show.

Thunderstorms rolling through northeastern Illinois caused about 100 flights cancellations at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and delays of more than two hours, according to the city's Department of Aviation. Flights were delayed about an hour across the city at Midway International Airport, but no major cancellations were reported.

Storms packing winds of up to 80 mph brought down power lines in southern Michigan, leaving about 123,000 homes and businesses without electricity.

Moderate Risk For Severe Weather in East Panhandle/Oklahoma

VALID 251200Z - 261200Z

...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS PORTIONS ERN PANHANDLE OF
TX...WRN OK...SWRN KS...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ELSEWHERE FROM NW TX TO CENTRAL
KS THEN NEWD TO PORTIONS LOWER MI...

...SYNOPSIS...
UPPER AIR PATTERN FCST TO FEATURE MEAN TROUGHING OVER WRN CONUS AND
ERN RIDGING. THIS PATTERN WILL SUPPORT CONTINUED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
ADVECTION/TRANSPORT ACROSS CENTRAL STATES...ALONG WITH PRESENCE OF
WELL DEFINED FOCAL BOUNDARIES BENEATH AREAS OF FAVORABLE DEEP-LAYER
WINDS. AS SUCH...OVERALL SVR THREAT IS INCREASING COMPARED TO
PREVIOUS DAYS. MAIN FEATURE ALOFT FOR THIS FCST WILL BE MID-UPPER
LEVEL LOW -- NOW ANALYZED OVER N-CENTRAL CA. THIS FEATURE SHOULD
PIVOT EWD FROM SWRN NV ACROSS AZ/UT BORDER AREA THROUGH 26/00Z.
MID-UPPER LOW THEN WILL DEAMPLIFY INTO OPEN-WAVE TROUGH AND LIFT
NEWD OVER MUCH OF CO BY END OF PERIOD. MEANWHILE...SECOND SHORTWAVE
TROUGH -- INITIALLY EVIDENT IN MOISTURE CHANNEL IMAGERY OVER
PORTIONS BC -- WILL DIG SEWD ACROSS NRN ROCKIES OF ID/MT. WEAK/SRN
STREAM PERTURBATION OVER AZ IS EXPECTED TO LIFT NEWD FROM NERN NM TO
NWRN MO/SRN IA REGION DURING 25/12Z-26/00Z TIME FRAME.
MEANWHILE...UPPER TROUGH NOW OVER E TX IS FCST TO DRIFT EWD OVER
SWRN AR AND LA.

CENTRAL/SRN PLAINS...
SVR TSTMS...INCLUDING SUPERCELLS WITH POTENTIAL FOR VERY
LARGE/DAMAGING HAIL AND A FEW TORNADOES...SHOULD DEVELOP LATE
AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING OVER ERN PANHANDLES AND WRN OK
REGION....MOVING NEWD AND INCREASING IN COVERAGE AFTER DARK.
WITHIN THIS REGION...SMALL AREA OF IDEALLY JUXTAPOSED FOCI AND
PARAMETERS FOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS MAY TAKE SHAPE AROUND 00Z AND
INTO EVENING...NEAR TRIPLE POINT AND SOMEWHAT SWD ALONG/AHEAD OF
DRYLINE. THREAT FOR SVR...ALONG WITH LIKELY CONVECTIVE
COVERAGE...BECOMES MORE CONDITIONAL WITH SWD EXTENT INVOF DRYLINE
INTO NW TX BECAUSE OF CAP STRENGTH AT BASE OF ELEVATED MIXED LAYER
AIR MASS. HIGH CLOUDS MAY RESTRICT SFC HEATING SOMEWHAT FOR MUCH OF
DAY...ESPECIALLY AHEAD OF EJECTING SRN STREAM THROUGH...WITH WEAK
SUBSIDENCE ALOFT IN WAKE OF THAT PERTURBATION THROUGH MID-AFTERNOON.
DURING 21-00Z TIME FRAME...LOW-MID 60S SFC DEW POINTS MAY BECOME
AVAILABLE TO CONVECTION FROM TRIPLE POINT REGION SWD...COMBINING
WITH STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES TO CONTRIBUTE TO MLCAPE IN 1500-2500
J/KG RANGE. EFFECTIVE SHEAR 40-45 KT SHOULD SUPPORT SUPERCELL
STRUCTURES ALONG WITH 0-1 KM SRH 150-250 J/KG BEFORE 00Z.

CONDITIONAL POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR STG TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY JUST
AFTER DARK WHEN LLJ STRENGTHENS APPRECIABLY...YET SUFFICIENTLY RICH
THETAE REMAINS TO KEEP EFFECTIVE INFLOW PARCELS ROOTED AT SFC.
PATTERN RESEMBLES THAT WHICH HAS YIELDED REGIME OF ONE OR TWO
SIGNIFICANT/NOCTURNAL TORNADIC SUPERCELLS HISTORICALLY. LLJ-RELATED
BOOST IN HODOGRAPH SIZE MAY LEAD TO 300-500 J/KG OF 0-1 KM SRH BY
ABOUT 26/03Z. MAIN UNCERTAINTY ATTM IS IN COVERAGE/NUMBER OF STORMS
AND RESULTING INFLUENCE ON STRUCTURE OF SUPERCELLS...WHICH MAY TEND
TOWARD HEAVY-PRECIP CHARACTER AFTER DARK. THEREFORE WILL WAIT FOR
ADDITIONAL INDICATIONS TO INTRODUCE AOA 10-PERCENT
SIGNIFICANT-TORNADO PROBABILITIES.

Sunday looking good for isolated supercells- best kind to chase!

...SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS...

ELEVATED STORMS WILL LIKELY BE ONGOING WITHIN ZONE OF ISENTROPIC
LIFT NORTH OF WARM FRONT OVER A PORTION OF THE CNTRL PLAINS. AN AXIS
OF RICHER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S WILL EXIST IN
WARM SECTOR SOUTH OF WARM FRONT AND EAST OF DRYLINE. PLUME OF STEEP
MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL ADVECT EAST AND CONTRIBUTE TO AN AXIS OF
MODERATE INSTABILITY FROM WRN KS...WRN OK AND WRN TX AS LOW CLOUDS
MIX OUT AND THE BOUNDARY LAYER WARMS. THE WARM SECTOR WILL INITIALLY
BE CAPPED. HOWEVER...STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG CONVERGENT
DRYLINE AS IT MIXES EAST AND AS THE CAP WEAKENS BY LATE AFTERNOON.
BULK SHEAR OF 40-50 KT WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELLS AND 0-1 KM HODOGRAPH
SIZE WILL ALSO INCREASE AS THE LOW LEVEL JET STRENGTHENS DURING THE
EARLY EVENING. LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE THE INITIAL
PRIMARY THREATS. HOWEVER...STORMS MAY EVENTUALLY EVOLVE INTO ONE OR
MORE MCSS OVERNIGHT WITH THREAT TRANSITIONING TO ISOLATED DAMAGING
WIND AND HAIL.

Saturday's severe weather outlook April, 24,2009

SPC AC 241729

DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1229 PM CDT FRI APR 24 2009

VALID 251200Z - 261200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE SRN
PLAINS...CNTRL PLAINS....MID-MS VALLEY...LOWER OH VALLEY AND LOWER
MICHIGAN...

...SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS...
AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE SW DESERTS TONIGHT WILL MOVE INTO THE
FOUR CORNERS REGION SATURDAY AS SOUTHWEST FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE
ACROSS THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS. A BROAD LOW-LEVEL JET WILL CONTINUE
MOISTURE ADVECTION ACROSS THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS AS A COLD FRONT
ADVANCES SEWD INTO WRN OK...THE TX PANHANDLE AND SE KS BY LATE
AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...SFC DEWPOINTS SHOULD BE IN THE LOWER
TO MID 60S F ALLOWING FOR MODERATE INSTABILITY ALONG AN AXIS FROM NW
TX NNEWD INTO WRN OK AND SRN KS. ALTHOUGH MODEL FORECAST SCENARIOS
ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT...THE MODELS GENERALLY AGREE THAT ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL INITIATE ALONG THE INSTABILITY AXIS
LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

FORECAST SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE SRN PART OF THE SLIGHT RISK AREA AT
00Z SUNDAY SHOW MODERATE TO STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR PROFILES
ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXIT REGION OF A MID-LEVEL JET EJECTING NEWD OUT
OF THE BASE OF THE FOUR CORNERS UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH. THIS ALONG WITH
STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES SHOULD SUPPORT A THREAT FOR SUPERCELLS
WITH LARGE HAIL. ATTM...THE BEST COMBINATION OF VERTICAL
SHEAR...INSTABILITY AND LAPSE RATES SHOULD BE IN NW OK AND THE ERN
TX PANHANDLE WHERE SUPERCELLS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE
HAIL. MODEL FORECASTS ALSO SHOW A PRONOUNCED LOW-LEVEL JET ACROSS
WRN OK WHICH WILL CREATE FAVORABLE BOUNDARY LAYER SHEAR CONDITIONS
FOR AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT SATURDAY EVENING. INSTABILITY AND
VERTICAL SHEAR IS FORECAST TO BE SLIGHTLY WEAKER NEWD ALONG THE
FRONT INTO SE KS AND NW MO SUGGESTING THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE MORE
ISOLATED THERE.

...LOWER OH VALLEY/LOWER MICHIGAN...
SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE SATURDAY FROM THE CNTRL PLAINS INTO
THE UPPER MIDWEST AS AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH MOVES NEWD ACROSS THE NRN
GREAT LAKES. IN THE WAKE OF THE SYSTEM...A COLD FRONT SHOULD MOVE
SEWD ACROSS LOWER MI...IL AND NRN MO DURING THE DAY. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG THE BOUNDARY DURING THE
LATE AFTERNOON WITH SEVERAL CLUSTERS OR A SMALL MCS PERSISTING INTO
THE LATE EVENING.

FORECAST SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE REGION LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON SUGGEST
STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS LOWER MI IN THE RIGHT
ENTRANCE REGION OF AN EXITING MID-LEVEL JET. FURTHER SOUTHWEST
ACROSS NRN IL AND NRN MO...MODERATE VERTICAL SHEAR IS FORECAST WITH
INSTABILITY INCREASING DURING THE DAY. THE AMOUNT OF VERTICAL SHEAR
AND INSTABILITY SHOULD SUPPORT AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF
WIND DAMAGE AND HAIL. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ALSO SUGGEST LOW-LEVEL WIND
PROFILES WILL BE VEERED AND UNIDIRECTIONAL ACROSS NCNTRL IL AND
LOWER MI WHICH MAY HELP ACCELERATE DOWNDRAFTS SUSTAINING THE WIND
DAMAGE POTENTIAL INTO THE MID TO LATE EVENING.

...SRN AND CNTRL APPALACHIANS...
A BROAD UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE IS FORECAST ACROSS THE ERN SEABOARD
SATURDAY WHERE SLY FLOW SHOULD REMAIN PLACE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE
RIDGE. MODEL FORECASTS ARE IN AGREEMENT...DEVELOPING MODERATE
INSTABILITY FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC SSWWD INTO CNTRL NC WHERE SFC
DEWPOINTS SHOULD RANGE FROM 55 TO 60 F. THE GFS INITIATES ISOLATED
TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ON THE WRN SIDE OF THE INSTABILITY AXIS
SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN THE SRN AND CNTRL APPALACHIANS PRIMARILY DUE
TO SFC HEATING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS AT 21Z ACROSS THIS AREA SUGGEST
DIRECTIONAL SHEAR AND INSTABILITY WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR A FEW
MARGINALLY SEVERE STORMS. MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL CONTINUE TO BE
VERY STEEP SUGGESTING HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT.

..BROYLES.. 04/24/2009

CLICK TO GET WUUS02 PTSDY2 PRODUCT

NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0600Z
CURRENT UTC TIME: 1947Z (2:47PM), RELOAD THIS PAGE TO UPDATE THE TIME

Possible Severe Weather This Weekend

SPC AC 230734

DAY 3 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0234 AM CDT THU APR 23 2009

VALID 251200Z - 261200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS SAT/SAT NIGHT FROM PARTS OF THE
S CNTRL PLAINS INTO UPPER PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY....

...SYNOPSIS...
SHORT WAVE DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE PREVAILING SPLIT UPPER FLOW
REGIME REMAIN A SOURCE OF CONSIDERABLE SPREAD AND DISCREPANCIES
AMONG MODEL DATA FOR THIS FORECAST PERIOD AND BEYOND. HOWEVER...
GUIDANCE IS IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT CONCERNING THE GENERAL PATTERN
EVOLUTION. LARGE-SCALE TROUGHING LIKELY WILL ENCOMPASS MUCH OF
CANADA AND THE WESTERN/NORTH CENTRAL U.S. BY LATE SATURDAY
NIGHT...WHILE UPPER RIDGING PERSISTS ACROSS THE GULF COAST AND
EASTERN STATES. WITHIN THE NORTHERN BRANCH OF SPLIT FLOW EMANATING
FROM THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC/NORTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA...A VIGOROUS
SHORT WAVE TROUGH IS PROGGED TO RAPIDLY LIFT NORTHEAST OF THE UPPER
GREAT LAKES REGION DURING THE DAY SATURDAY...WHILE AN UPSTREAM
IMPULSE DIGS SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES. THIS LATTER FEATURE
APPEARS LIKELY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NORTHEASTWARD ACCELERATION OF
ANOTHER STRONG SHORT WAVE IMPULSE OUT OF THE BASE OF THE SOUTHERN
BRANCH TROUGH OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. JUST HOW FAST THIS WILL
OCCUR IS UNCERTAIN...BUT THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO HAVE ENOUGH OF
AN IMPACT ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAINS INTO PARTS OF THE MIDDLE
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO SUPPORT CONSIDERABLE SEVERE POTENTIAL.

...SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION...
STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST DOWNSTREAM OF
THE UPPER TROUGH ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS THROUGH
UPPER PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO SATURDAY. IN
THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING NORTHERN BRANCH IMPULSE...WITH
CONSIDERABLE CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT PERHAPS ONGOING EARLY IN THE
DAY...THIS IS MORE UNCERTAIN EAST NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE GREAT LAKES
REGION. BUT...GULF RETURN FLOW...AROUND A LARGE LOW-LEVEL RIDGE
CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHEAST...COULD BE SUFFICIENT IN THE PRESENCE OF
FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR ON THE SOUTHERN FRINGE OF THE
WESTERLIES...TO SUPPORT A CONTINUATION OF STRONG/SEVERE STORMS
THROUGH THE DAY.

MORE PROBABLE...A PRE-FRONTAL LOW-LEVEL CONFLUENCE ZONE WILL BECOME
THE FOCUS FOR INTENSE CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT AS INHIBITION WEAKENS
BY/SHORTLY AFTER PEAK HEATING...FROM PARTS OF EASTERN/ SOUTHERN IOWA
THROUGH EASTERN KANSAS. MIXED LAYER CAPE UP TO 2000 J/KG WILL
SUPPORT VIGOROUS UPDRAFTS IN THE PRESENCE OF A FAVORABLY SHEARED
SOUTHWESTERLY DEEP LAYER MEAN FLOW ON THE ORDER OF 40 KTS...WHICH
WILL SUPPORT THE RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE MAINLY OF PRODUCING
LARGER HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

THE LIKELIHOOD OF A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE THROUGH MUCH OF WESTERN/
CENTRAL KANSAS ADDS UNCERTAINTY TO THE FORECAST. BUT...THE DRY LINE
AND DRY LINE/COLD FRONTAL INTERSECTION ACROSS THE TEXAS/ OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE AREA INTO THE VICINITY OF THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA/KANSAS
BORDER SHOULD PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL DISCRETE STORM
DEVELOPMENT. IN THE PRESENCE OF MODERATE TO STRONG SHEAR AND
INSTABILITY...A FEW SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS...PERHAPS A FEW TORNADOES. THIS ACTIVITY
IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS...BEFORE PRIMARY
DEVELOPMENT SHIFTS TO THE STRENGTHENING WARM ADVECTION REGIME ABOVE
THE SURFACE FRONT ACROSS KANSAS...WHERE THE RISK FOR AT LEAST LARGE
HAIL MAY PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHT.

...CENTRAL APPALACHIANS...
MODELS SUGGEST MOISTENING/DESTABILIZATION BENEATH UPPER RIDGE WILL
BE SUPPORTIVE OF SCATTERED STORM DEVELOPMENT TO THE LEE OF THE
CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. STEEP ENOUGH LAPSE RATES WILL EXIST TO
SUPPORT LOW PROBABILITIES FOR HAIL/GUSTY WINDS...DESPITE VERY WEAK
SHEAR.

..KERR.. 04/23/2009

The Anatomy & Timeline of Life-Changing Deadly Twisters

The Anatomy & Timeline of Life-Changing Deadly Twisters: "Tornado warnings have improved over the years; forecasters can now issue warnings about 18 minutes before touchdown for 75 percent of twisters. As for longer-term forecasts, the science isn't there yet, despite what you hear on the nightly news.

"

(Via digg.com: Stories / Popular.)

Zoom Zoom!

When the winds are calm - theses guys take to the Panhandle skies.

Mountains west of Amarillo?

I saw this interesting cloud formation the other evening that made it look like some New Mexico mountains had been moved to West Texas. If only!

-Steve

When The Cows Come Home

Fair Weather Cumulus

Which way are the storms moving?

Click to enlarge.

Flooding just down the street.

Just after I got home it began raining like heck. I think we had over an inch and a half in less than thirty minutes. As a result Teckla and other flood prone areas of Amartillo flooded. From 10:00 PM on, AFD had to do many water rescues.

Here's a photo of a flooded out Mustang I shot just down the street from my abode. The quality isn't the best, because it was dark raining and I really didn't want to go swimming.

Kress Tornado

Here's a shot (the dark mass to the right of the road) that good friend Michael Wilhelm sent to me of the tornado spotted just northeast of Kress, Texas yesterday.

Michael was on his way back from fixing computers in Plainview when he snapped this photo from inside his car.

Thanks Michel!

Today's Storm System Photos

Although the storms that moved into Amarillo tonight kind of puttered and sputtered, they were photogenic. Here are a few of my best shots. Click to enlarge.








(C) Steve Douglass

Current Mesoscale Discussion

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0482
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0156 PM CDT THU APR 16 2009

AREAS AFFECTED...PORTIONS TX SOUTH-PLAINS REGION...TX PANHANDLE...OK
PANHANDLE.

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH LIKELY

VALID 161856Z - 162000Z

--- RE-TRANSMITTED ---

SFC-BASED CONVECTION IS DEVELOPING BETWEEN LBB-EVW...WITH ADDITIONAL
CONVECTION POSSIBLE NWD THROUGH CENTRAL PANHANDLE AND SWWD TOWARD
TX/NM BORDER AREA E HOB. DAMAGING GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE
POSSIBLE FROM ACTIVITY OVER THIS AREA THROUGH REMAINDER OF AFTERNOON
INTO EVENING.

SFC MESOANALYSIS INDICATES DRYLINE BULGE OVER THIS REGION...WITH
DRYLINE ARCHING THROUGH ERN DALLAM...ERN CASTRO...HALE...WRN LUBBOCK
COUNTIES...THEN SWD TO NEAR MAF. MESOANALYSIS...RADAR REFLECTIVITIES
AND VIS IMAGERY INDICATES BOUNDARY LAYER CONVERGENCE LINE COLLOCATED
WITH DRYLINE N OF LBB COUNTY...THEN EXTENDING SWWD THROUGH NWRN
GAINES COUNTY. DRYLINE SHOULD KEEP MIXING EWD ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH
PLAINS REGION...BUT BECOME MORE NW-SE ALIGNED FARTHER N AS
BACKED/INTENSIFYING LOW LEVEL FLOW PERSISTS ACROSS CENTRAL/NRN
PANHANDLE AND OK PANHANDLE. DRYLINE ACTUALLY MAY RETREAT WWD
SOMEWHAT OVER NRN TX AND OK PANHANDLES AMIDST STRENGTHENING
ISALLOBARIC FORCING...EXTENDING SOME SVR POTENTIAL INTO WHAT NOW IS
DRY AIR MASS. MODIFIED RUC/OBSERVED SOUNDINGS INDICATE VERY STEEP
MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES ACCOMPANYING ERN EDGE OF COOLING ALOFT
OVERSPREADING REGION. FURTHER DESTABILIZATION ALOFT IS EVIDENT JUST
UPSTREAM OVER SERN NM -- WHERE CONSIDERABLE MIDLEVEL CONVECTION HAS
DEVELOPED OVER VERY DRY NEAR-SFC LAYER. THIS...COMBINED WITH SFC
DEW POINTS 50S F E OF DRYLINE...YIELDS MLCAPE 1500-2000 J/KG
IMMEDIATELY E OF DRYLINE...IN NARROW ZONE OF FAVORABLY STG
INSOLATION W OF CLOUD SHIELD FROM ACTIVITY DISCUSSED IN MESOSCALE
DISCUSSION 481.

FAVORABLE STORM-RELATIVE FLOW IS EXPECTED...GIVEN RELATIVELY BACKED
SFC WINDS EVIDENT IN TX MESONET DATA AND FCST TO CONTINUE BETWEEN
THIS AREA AND CAPROCK. MODIFIED RUC SOUNDINGS SUGGEST SE FLOW WILL
CONTRIBUTE TO FAVORABLE DEEP-LAYER SHEAR...E.G. EFFECTIVE SHEAR
MAGNITUDES 45-50 KT FOR SFC-ROOTED PARCELS. WEAK WINDS JUST ABOVE
SFC...IN 1-2 KM AGL LAYER -- WILL KEEP LOW LEVEL HODOGRAPHS
RELATIVELY SMALL OVER INITIATION AREA. HOWEVER...HODOGRAPHS WILL
EXPAND EWD WITH PROXIMITY TO 40-50 KT LLJ...AND WITH TIME THIS
EVENING.

Today's severe weather outlook

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0750 AM CDT THU APR 16 2009

VALID 161300Z - 171200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN
HIGH PLAINS...

...SYNOPSIS...
CLOSED UPPER LOW NEARING THE FOUR CORNERS AREA WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST
TODAY...AS A DRYLINE/LEE TROUGH WILL PERSIST OVER THE HIGH PLAINS IN
ADVANCE OF THIS FEATURE. THE DRYLINE WILL MIX EASTWARD ACROSS WEST
TX DURING THE DAY...AND THEN RETREAT WESTWARD DURING THE EVENING
BEFORE IT IS OVERTAKEN BY AN OCCLUDING/PACIFIC COLD FRONT.

...CENTRAL/SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS...
EARLY MORNING SURFACE ANALYSIS/12Z OBSERVED RAOBS DEPICT A
WEST-NORTHWESTWARD RETURN OF MODEST BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE ACROSS
TX SINCE LAST EVENING...ALTHOUGH 60+ F SURFACE DEWPOINTS ARE
CONFINED TO THE TX HILL COUNTRY/SOUTH TX AS OF 13Z. INITIALLY...ON
THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF A STRONG ELEVATED MIXED LAYER SAMPLED BY
12Z REGIONAL RAOBS SUCH AS AMA/MAF/DRT/DDC...THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL
FOR EARLY DAY TSTMS TO POSE A HAIL RISK ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
TX/HILL COUNTRY OWING TO A LEAD MID LEVEL IMPULSE CROSSING FAR
NORTHERN MEXICO EARLY THIS MORNING. WITH IMPLIED LIFT/MID LEVEL
MOISTENING NOTED EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS THE TX HILL COUNTRY...A
CONDITIONAL SURFACE BASED SEVERE THREAT COULD EVOLVE WITHIN THIS
CORRIDOR...ALTHOUGH THE STRENGTH OF THE CAP /PER 12Z DRT RAOB/
SHOULD LIMIT APPRECIABLE SURFACE BASED DEVELOPMENT.

OTHERWISE...A MORE ORGANIZED SEVERE THREAT SHOULD DEVELOP FARTHER
WEST ACROSS THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS IN VICINITY OF THE LEE
TROUGH/DRYLINE LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. DIABATIC HEATING
BENEATH STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL CONTRIBUTE TO
DESTABILIZATION/WEAKENING CINH ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS BY
AFTERNOON...WITH MAINLY 50S F DEWPOINTS SUPPORTING AN AXIS OF MLCAPE
FROM 1000-1500 J/KG OVER THE TRANSPECOS REGION OF WEST TX TO AROUND
500 J/KG ACROSS EAST CENTRAL/SOUTHEAST CO. WHILE THE STRONG CAP
SHOULD LIMIT SURFACE BASED TSTM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY
AFTERNOON...GRADUAL LARGE SCALE HEIGHT FALLS/ADVANCING EXIT REGION
OF UPPER JET AIDED BY LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE TRAJECTORIES/AMPLE
HEATING...SHOULD LEAD TO A BROAD NNW-SSE CORRIDOR OF SURFACE BASED
TSTM DEVELOPMENT AROUND MID/LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS THE HIGH
PLAINS...INITIALLY FROM EASTERN CO/FAR WESTERN KS TO TX
PANHANDLE/WEST TX.

WITH SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY AND 35-50 KT SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY MID
LEVEL FLOW...LOW LEVEL VEERING/40+ KT OF EFFECTIVE SHEAR WILL
SUPPORT SUPERCELLS. SEVERE HAIL WILL LIKELY BE THE PRIMARY
THREAT...WITH DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE AS WELL VIA DEEP MIXING
ESPECIALLY ACROSS WEST TX AND/OR EVENTUAL STORM MERGERS LATER THIS
EVENING. ALTHOUGH A TORNADO OR TWO WILL BE POSSIBLE...MODEST
BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE AND/OR INITIALLY LIMITED HODOGRAPH SIZE WILL
TEND TO CURB THE THREAT.

THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE...AND STORMS WILL
LIKELY GROW UPSCALE INTO ONE OR MORE QUASI-ORGANIZED MCS/S...LATER
IN THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT AS THE OCCLUDING/PACIFIC FRONT AND LEADING
EDGE OF COOLER MID-LEVEL TEMPERATURES/ASCENT ACCOMPANYING THE UPPER
TROUGH OVERTAKE THE RETREATING DRYLINE. THREAT FOR ISOLATED LARGE
HAIL/DAMAGING WIND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT...MAINLY
ACROSS WEST/NORTHWEST TX AND FAR WESTERN OK.

..GUYER/JEWELL.. 04/16/2009

CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1630Z
CURRENT UTC TIME: 1415Z (9:15AM), RELOAD THIS PAGE TO UPDATE THE TIME

Dryline event looks better for Thursday.

The closer we get to Thursday, the more we'll know about the possible severe weather (dryline) event forecast for the central and east Texas Panhandle.

Here's the latest probability graph:



DAY 3 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0228 AM CDT TUE APR 14 2009

VALID 161200Z - 171200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS THE CNTRL/SRN PLAINS...

...CNTRL/SRN PLAINS...

IT APPEARS UPPER LOW THAT WILL DIG SEWD ACROSS THE 4-CORNERS REGION
WILL BE NUDGED EAST ENOUGH THAT THE CNTRL/SRN HIGH PLAINS FROM
NEB...SWD INTO WEST TX WILL EXPERIENCE HEIGHT FALLS DURING THE
LATTER HALF OF THE PERIOD. MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT
STRONGEST MID LEVEL FLOW WILL ROUND THE BASE OF THE UPPER LOW ALONG
THE U.S./MEXICAN BORDER THEN EJECT INTO THE TX PANHANDLE AFTER 00Z.
SLOW EWD PROGRESSION OF UPPER TROUGH WILL MAINTAIN SSELY LLJ ACROSS
THE HIGH PLAINS WHICH WILL TRANSPORT MODIFIED BOUNDARY LAYER AIRMASS
AS FAR NORTH AS SWRN NEB AND EXTREME ERN CO WHERE SFC DEW POINTS
SHOULD RISE INTO THE UPPER 40S AND PERHAPS REACH 50F. FARTHER
SOUTH...50S DEW POINTS WILL BE COMMON ALONG DRYLINE SWD ACROSS TX
MOST OF THE PERIOD.

EARLY IN THE PERIOD IT APPEARS LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION WILL BE
PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR SCATTERED ELEVATED CLUSTERS OF
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF WCNTRL TX...NWD INTO WRN KS. THIS
ACTIVITY SHOULD NOT PROVE PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT AS RECOVERING
AIRMASS WILL NOT BE THAT MOIST/BUOYANT. HOWEVER...WEST OF THIS WARM
ADVECTION ACTIVITY STRONG HEATING WILL BE NOTED ALONG
DRYLINE/FRONTAL ZONE FROM TX/NM BORDER NWD INTO ERN CO. THIS
HEATING WILL PROVE INSTRUMENTAL IN DEVELOPMENT DURING THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. DIURNAL ACTIVITY SHOULD INITIATE FIRST ALONG THE NRN
PORTIONS OF THE FRONT ACROSS ERN CO INTO SWRN NEB. STRONG SHEAR AND
JUST ENOUGH INSTABILITY ACROSS THIS REGION FAVOR NWD-MOVING
SUPERCELLS THAT COULD PRODUCE ISOLATED TORNADOES IN ADDITION TO
HAIL. LATE IN THE AFTERNOON CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES WILL BE REACHED
ACROSS THE TX PANHANDLE...THOUGH LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE MAY BE
SOMEWHAT WEAKER...INITIALLY...ALONG SRN BOUNDARY UNTIL LATER IN THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. ISOLATED SUPERCELLS MAY DEVELOP ACROSS THIS REGION
THEN EVOLVE INTO LARGER THUNDERSTORM CLUSTERS OR AN MCS AS LLJ
INTENSIFIES AFTER DARK. THIS CONVECTIVE COMPLEX SHOULD PROPAGATE
EWD ACROSS THE SRN PLAINS...OVERSPREADING MUCH OF WRN OK/NWRN TX BY
12Z.

..DARROW.. 04/14/2009

Possible Dry Line Event Wed/Thursday

Although the weather models are not quite agreeing, there is the slight possibility of a dry-line severe weather event shaping up for Wednesday or Thursday. It depends how far west the dry line sets up before we will know if the Amarillo area will be included but most likely the Eastern Panhandle will see storms. Stay tuned!

Twister: The Abduction Of Dorothy

Wildfires Ravage Oklahoma, Texas.

(CNN) -- Numerous wildfires were roaring Thursday through parts of Oklahoma and Texas, engulfing one town and searing neighborhoods in others, including one in Oklahoma City. Hurricane-force winds continued to kick the flames even higher.

The fires had engulfed so many miles of turf, and flying embers had sparked in so many different places, that hours after the first blazes were reported Thursday morning, safety officials still weren't sure how many fires they were facing.

In Texas, the 100-person town of Stoneburg was "burned over," by a 25,000-acre fire said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Misty Wilburn.

The town, northwest of Dallas near the Oklahoma state line, had been evacuated, she said.

Seventy-five to 100 homes had been destroyed in Oklahoma, and 13 people were confirmed injured -- two of them critically, according to emergency officials. Watch homes in Oklahoma burn »

Wilburn said Texas authorities were working at least nine major fires Thursday evening, seven in the west of the state and two in the north.

"Everything we have is committed to fires," she said. "Everyone is maxed out."

Feeding the flames were strong winds that were gusting as high as 76 mph, the strength of a Category 1 hurricane, and grounding many emergency aircraft that can't fly safely in those conditions.


READ THE FULL STORY HERE

High Fire Danger Forecast

VORTEX is back!

National Tornado Experiment to Begin in May
April 6, 2009


VORTEX2 is the largest and most ambitious field experiment in history to explore tornadoes.

A collaborative nationwide project exploring the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes will occur from May 10 through June 13 in the central United States. The project, Verification of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment2 (VORTEX2 or V2), is the largest and most ambitious attempt to study tornadoes in history and will involve more than 50 scientists and 40 research vehicles, including 10 mobile radars.

“Data collected from V2 will help researchers understand how tornadoes form and how the large-scale environment of thunderstorms is related to tornado formation,” according to Louis Wicker, research meteorologist with NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory and V2 co-principal investigator.

Scientists will sample the environment of supercell thunderstorms — violent thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes — that form over more than 900 miles of the central Great Plains. Areas of focus include southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma. The V2 Operations Center will be at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Dust Storm causing havoc in Amarillo Area!

A major dust storm is causing widespread problems in the Amarillo area with winds gusting up to near hurricane strength. For a current list of breaking news related to this storm, see the Twitter feed on the right.

Streaming scanner feed has been activated.