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.

LIsten in live!

During severe weather outbreaks in the Amarillo area you can now listen in live to our streaming radio scanner array for a small seasonal fee.

Whenever a tornado or severe thunderstorm watch is issued for Amarillo and adjacent counties we'll turn on feed and you'll be able to listen to:

Amarillo Department of Emergency Management
Amarillo Emergency Service
RACES/ARES Local area HAM severe weather networks
NSSL DOW Trucks (when operating in our local area)
Local public safety organizations including digital DPS P-25 broadcasts.
Aviation Weather
Area emergency operations centers.

System requirements:
Any computer running Windows XP (not Vista)and at least a 56K modem (although a fast (DSL or cable connection is preferable) and the Eazy Client streaming software will work.

Cost is $20.00 for three months (April, May and June) and is payable in advance.
Sign up soon because bandwidth is limited to 10 listeners!

For more information e-mail Steve Douglass at: webbfeat@gmail.com

Yesterday's Official NWS Storm Report

Click on the link HERE to view all reports in text form.

Current Kansas/Oklahoma Real-Time Chaser Links

For those wanting near real time information concerning the severe weather in Oklahoma and Kanasas should visit the folowing links:

Chaser TV. com
Live streaming video from chasers and spotters in the storm.

Amarillo chaser Steve Miller's video stream is HERE.

Severe Studios
Live streaming video from chasers and spotters in the storm.

Live NOAA Weather Radio Streaming audio (weatherunderground)


Check back for updates.