Friday, June 29, 2007
Why Are Clouds White?
Well, summer has arrived, and a typical afternoon will feature beautiful structures high in the sky. Towering upright storms that sit and dump heavy amounts of rainfall are pretty common for this time of year, but what makes them so white and pure looking?
Clouds are made up of water droplets. Water droplets tend to scatter light equally, making the appearance white. All of the visible colors of the spectrum become scattered in a process called "Mie Scattering".
When the cloud gets real high or thick, sunlight becomes reduced, thus giving the cloud more of a grey type of appearance.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 7:40 PM
0 comments
FRIDAY'S FOLLY
Whatever happened to the cow that was lifted into the air by the tornado?
Udder disaster!
What did the one tornado say to the other?
Let’s twist again like we did last summer.
What did the thermometer say to the other thermometer?
You make my temperature rise.
What happens when fog lifts in California?
UCLA!
What’s the difference between a horse and the weather?
One is reined up and the other rains down.
What did one raindrop say to the other raindrop?
My plop is bigger than your plop.
Why did the woman go outdoors with her purse open?
Because she expected some change in the weather.
What did the tornado say to the other tornado?
You turn me on!
What’s the difference between weather and climate?
You can’t weather a tree, but you can climate.
What happens when it rains cats and dogs?
You have to been careful not to step in a poodle.
What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks?
Foul (fowl) weather.
What did the hurricane say to the other hurricane?
I have my eye on you.
How do you find out the weather when you’re on vacation?
Go outside and look up.
Udder disaster!
What did the one tornado say to the other?
Let’s twist again like we did last summer.
What did the thermometer say to the other thermometer?
You make my temperature rise.
What happens when fog lifts in California?
UCLA!
What’s the difference between a horse and the weather?
One is reined up and the other rains down.
What did one raindrop say to the other raindrop?
My plop is bigger than your plop.
Why did the woman go outdoors with her purse open?
Because she expected some change in the weather.
What did the tornado say to the other tornado?
You turn me on!
What’s the difference between weather and climate?
You can’t weather a tree, but you can climate.
What happens when it rains cats and dogs?
You have to been careful not to step in a poodle.
What do you call it when it rains chickens and ducks?
Foul (fowl) weather.
What did the hurricane say to the other hurricane?
I have my eye on you.
How do you find out the weather when you’re on vacation?
Go outside and look up.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 11:00 AM
0 comments
VENUS AND SATURN
Venus and Saturn will be just a full moon and a half, width-wise, apart this Sunday. This neat astronomical occurrence will be viewable to the naked eye for about two hours after sunset. Look to the west just after the sun sets and Venus, providing we're not clouded over, will be readily visible, shining bright as one of the brightest objects in the sky. Saturn will be just to the right.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 10:15 AM
0 comments
HOT AND COLD
Vostok, Antarctica holds the world record for the lowest recorded temperature. On July 21, 1983 the temperature fell to an unprecedented -89.4 C or -129 F!
The world's highest official temperature is 136 F recorded at El Azizia, Libya, on September 13, 1922.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 10:00 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 28, 2007
PLENTY OF MOISTURE!
With the exception of a little dry layer here or there, this mornings Springfield MO is nearly saturated from the surface up to the tropopause. Springfield is on the warm side of a stationary boundary as are we. Daytime heating is all ready starting to “pepper” the warm sector with showers and t-storms. There is a little CIN (Convective Inhibition) to overtake in the shape of a ham steak, covering parts of our northern area, though this will likely not be a factor for too long. Drifting through our region over the next 24 to 36 hours, the front will be the focal point for steady and heavy rain.
We anticipate shower / t-storm activity, now in parts of eastern OK to spread westward throughout the latter morning and into the afternoon. The threat of some gusty winds and small hail with both isolated and grouped t-storms will carry into the evening, though the biggest issue will be localized flooding. Please remember not to try to cross flooded roadways; there have already been many deaths in parts of Texas due to flooding rains. Most flood related deaths occur in automobiles.
We anticipate shower / t-storm activity, now in parts of eastern OK to spread westward throughout the latter morning and into the afternoon. The threat of some gusty winds and small hail with both isolated and grouped t-storms will carry into the evening, though the biggest issue will be localized flooding. Please remember not to try to cross flooded roadways; there have already been many deaths in parts of Texas due to flooding rains. Most flood related deaths occur in automobiles.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 10:15 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Heavy Rainfall Potential
Tonight we'll be watching a surface boundary that will sit tight across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. This boundary will provide the focus for showers and storms that will likely train over the same area. Several embedded waves of low pressure at 500 mb will move over the stationary boundary creating the potential for heavy rainfall.
The latest computer model guidance suggests a developing 30 to 40 knt low level jet at 850 mb after midnight. This ribbon of air will interact with the stationary boundary to help sustain showers and storms throughout the overnight period.
Heavy flooding rainfall could become an issue, with some locations picking up and additional 1 to 2 inches of rainfall overnight. QPF is very high, so be very careful if you live around a flood prone area.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 4:34 PM
0 comments
HAIL TO THE SUMMER OF 2004
Drew’s blog entry prompted me to do some meteorological digging in the dregs of archived data and thankfully I didn’t have to go back that far to find a year that was “relatively” cool. Back in school, as part of the course work for Climatology, we had to collect and analyze over one hundred years worth of data that we collected from microfiche! Just the thought is giving me a headache and blurring my vision. Onwards, we march towards tales of cool.
OK, are you sitting down? The summer of 2004 was void of triple digit heat!
In fact, the highest temp recorded that summer was 97 F in Fort Smith and 92 F in Fayetteville. Interestingly, both June and July were very wet. Getting ideas or hopes? Rainfall totaled some15” for the two month period!
So, let’s move it to present times. The warmest day thus far has been June 19th of the present month when Fort Smith reached 93 F and Fayetteville topped out at 89 F.
Could the rest of the summer be “cool”? Let’s hope so.
OK, are you sitting down? The summer of 2004 was void of triple digit heat!
In fact, the highest temp recorded that summer was 97 F in Fort Smith and 92 F in Fayetteville. Interestingly, both June and July were very wet. Getting ideas or hopes? Rainfall totaled some15” for the two month period!
So, let’s move it to present times. The warmest day thus far has been June 19th of the present month when Fort Smith reached 93 F and Fayetteville topped out at 89 F.
Could the rest of the summer be “cool”? Let’s hope so.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 11:45 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
This Just In.....No 100 degree Heat!
It can be challenging at times to go on television and repeat the same story. Usually during the summer we're repeating "hazy, hot, and humid" over, and over, and over again; however, this summer, we may never see 100 degrees with the green vegetation, and the abundance of gulf moisture.
Evapotranspiration is a big part of the water cycle. Plants and trees help to continually hydrate the atmosphere during the spring and summer months; moreover, rich green plants contribute to evaporation, which in turn has a cooling effect on the surrounding air. Think about when you sweat on a summer day. Your evaporate water from your body, which helps to cool your body. Trees are cooling the air around them.
The U.S. Forestry service says that a mature 40 ft tree can reduce the surrounding air temperature by transpiring some 40 gallons of water each day.
Last year we hit 100 degrees in the middle of July in Fort Smith. Interestingly enough, both June and July were completely dry at the Fort Smith Airport. The vegetation was dead, which helped contribute to the hot temperatures.
If the vegetation remains green it wouldn't surprise me to see the area dodge the dreaded 100 degree mark! I hope I'm right!
Posted by Drew Michaels at 8:20 PM
0 comments
THIS DAY IN WEATHER
1994 The temperature reached 122 degrees at the Waste Isolation Treatment Plant east of Carlsbad, NM to set the state high temperature record for New Mexico. In Oklahoma, the temperature at the mesonet station near Tipton reached 120 degrees, setting an all-time record for the Sooner State! (NCDC)
Posted by Ted Zarras at 7:00 PM
0 comments
MILD & SHOWERY
The map displays forecasted rain totals by 00z Saturday. Disclaimer: Forecasting rainfall totals that are largely a product of convection or t-storms is a difficult undertaking for both machines (computer model) and humans. With that being said, we could and will very likely have some spots within our area that will be threatened by localized flooding. As we’ve been mentioning, any one t-storm can drop an inch of rain. Make that a slow mover, and that amount exponentially increases.
Please use extreme caution over the next few days. Don’t become a statistic! Remember to “Turn around, don’t drown”
The series of cut-off features that have been a part of our weather pattern over the past several months have kept us on the cool side with clouds and precipitation. Comparatively, Fayetteville has only topped 85 F ten times this year versus twenty nine for last and Fort Smith has only topped 90 F five times in 2007 as compared to twenty eight last year, by this time!
Please use extreme caution over the next few days. Don’t become a statistic! Remember to “Turn around, don’t drown”
The series of cut-off features that have been a part of our weather pattern over the past several months have kept us on the cool side with clouds and precipitation. Comparatively, Fayetteville has only topped 85 F ten times this year versus twenty nine for last and Fort Smith has only topped 90 F five times in 2007 as compared to twenty eight last year, by this time!
Posted by Ted Zarras at 8:40 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 25, 2007
Same Old Song and Dance
Ted and I are classic rock fans, well, he edges me out since he was a professional drummer in his glory days. His recent post about the Beatles reminds me about Aerosmith, and their song "Same Old Song and Dance".
That's the perfect way to describe the pattern we're in. The dominant ridge continues to take hold of the central United States, and here we are, getting pounded by little cut-off lows and waves of low pressure. I'm not complaining, but this blocking pattern is going to have a real tough time breaking down.
Throughout the course of this week these upper level features will continue to force tropical air across our region. Rich dewpoints in the upper 60s and lower 70s will provide the chance for storms containing heavy rainfall throughout the 7 day period. Some of these storms could easily drop an inch of rain in a short amount of time.
So far this June, most of the area has received between 2 and 3 inches of rain, and we average around 5 inches for the month. With our current pattern, we may actually get to average by the end of the week.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 6:39 PM
0 comments
LIGHTNING KILLS
As part of Lightning Safety Week, we'll be featuring various facts and safety measures all week about this life-threatening hazard.
Here's a neat tip: If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Seek safe shelter immediately. Another way to remember this is by the catch phrase,
WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS!
Posted by Ted Zarras at 11:10 AM
0 comments
A CLOSED ISOBAR
As has been the case over the past two months, once again our weather over the week ahead will be largely decided by the movement of an upper level Low over Texas. This cut-off feature is already producing strong storms across parts of north central Texas and a flash flood watch is in effect due to the slow movement of the Low.
We'll continue to see a feed of Gulf moisture move into our area and this coupled with daytime heating will produce wide-spread showers and t-storms by the afternoon. Storm movement today will be to the north northeast and some gusty winds, perhaps mixed with a little small hail will be possible, though the primary threat will be localized flooding. With the amount of moisture that we have in place and the slow movement of the storms, rainfall amounts as high as an inch or greater are possible. Please use caution if you get caught driving through one of the storms and remember, do not attempt to cross flooded roadways!
Posted by Ted Zarras at 10:40 AM
0 comments
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Lightning Safety Week
You have to admit, it's been nice to receive the rainfall lately, even if it means dealing with thunderstorms. Severe weather season as a whole really starts to wind down during the summer months as the jetstream moves north; however, that doesn't mean that storms won't contain deadly lightning. Look at these impressive photos taken by 40/29 Storm Chaser Brian Emfinger. Brian is well aware of the dangers when taking lightning photos.
In an average year in Arkansas, lightning strikes the ground more than half a million times.
Arkansas ranks 13th in the nation in the number of lightning strikes per square mile.
Be sure to stay indoors when the storms roll around your area. Stay off the corded phone, and avoid showers or baths when an electrical storm is in your area.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 3:44 PM
0 comments
Saturday, June 23, 2007
STORM PICS
These impressive pictures were shot by 40/29 Storm Chaser Brian Emfinger. The man keeps busy! With plenty of moisture in place, daytime heating has "popcorned" the atmosphere over the past few days, providing plenty of Kodak moments!
Both pictures, captured yesterday, are of storms that fired up east of the Fort Smith area. The top picture is from Dyer and the bottom one is looking north of the Mulberry area along a shelf cloud.
Once again today we saw morning storms north of the River Valley, with the community of Flint, OK picking up an incredible 2.09" of rain in just about an hour! Remember, don't try to cross flooded roadways. This evening the heaviest action has been around the Clarksville / Ozark area. We received a report of up to six inches of moving water in places. That's enough to knock a person over and just a foot and a half of moving water can float your vehicle. Please do not become a statistic! Flooding is the number one weather related killer.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 10:45 PM
0 comments
A STATIONARY PATTERN
We have often discussed the long wave pattern circulating the northern hemisphere and how it translates to the forecast. To review; 6-7 long waves denotes an active pattern, 4-5 long waves is somewhat stationary and a long wave pattern of 3 usually means retrogression.Presently we have four mean troughs around the northern hemisphere and yet another Omega Block, marked by a trough, ridge, and trough over the States. Quick interpretation: don’t expect big changes to the forecast anytime soon! We will continue to see a series of troughs or little disturbances pass through our area under the ridge, keeping the threat of afternoon showers and t-storms throughout the entire extended forecast.
Keep your gas can full and happy mowing!
Posted by Ted Zarras at 7:00 PM
0 comments
Friday, June 22, 2007
Summer of 2006, revisited
It won’t be too long before we start seeing numbers such as that monumental first one of triple digit heat that’s pictured above on the bank clock. Last year we didn’t hit 100 F in Fort Smith until July 16th and it wasn’t until July 21st, that Fayetteville hit the mark, topping out at a lovely 101 F.
Clouds, showers and afternoon t-storms, although making for quite a muggy combination, have been keeping our temps down recently. The question still remains unanswered… when will we hit 100 F?
Posted by Ted Zarras at 9:10 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Drew's Natural Air Conditioning
We have been very lucky this spring! Our severe weather reports have been minimal due to the northern position of the jetstream, which in turn would typically allow for some hot temperatures; however, we've been fortunate that little cut-of low disturbances have kept our temperatures from soaring out of control, and most importantly, they have provided us with ample chances for rain.
This same story is unfolding over the first week of summer. Look at the position of the jetstream in the picture above. A major ridge has parts of the West sizzling under 850 mb temperatures approaching 30 degree Celsius. If this was the case for us, we would easily be experiencing temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, but that's not the case.
Look at the upper level winds in this second picture. I have drawn in an upper level cut off low around 18,000 ft. This low will provide us with clouds and chances for rain over the next couple of days, and it's what I call natural air conditioning. Look for seasonable highs climbing into the mid to upper 80s to near 90 degrees.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 4:17 PM
0 comments
LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR
At the time of this picture, we were exactly five hours away from the Summer Solstice, which marks the beginning of Summer. Today is also the longest day of the year. Fort Smith will have 14 hours and 33 minutes of sun and Fayetteville will have 14 hours and 37 minutes. If you happened to live in Anchorage, Alaska you'd be looking at 19 hours and 22 minutes of sunlight and if you happened to be above 66 1/2 degrees N latitude, or otherwise said, north of the arctic circle, the sun wouldn't set. The picture below is what that would look like.
So, if today is the one with most sunshine, you may wonder why it isn't also the hottest day of the year. The reason is because there's a lag in the response of the Earth, temperature-wise. It takes awhile for the land to heat up and even longer for the oceans. Typically by August the Earth's temperature is as warm as it will get in the Northern hemisphere, even though the amount of sunlight received is comparable to that of April.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 6:50 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Crawford County Tornado EF-1
The National Weather Service in Tulsa sent a damage survey team to Crawford County this afternoon, and they concluded that an EF-1 caused the damage. The tornado produced damage beginning 3 miles southwest of Figure Five, however, the total length of the damage path is still unknown at this time. The path width of the tornado was estimated to be around 300 yards, with the maximum speed around 100 mph.
This is a very dynamic complex of storms that blew through the area overnight. The main core of storms moved through Oklahoma, and eventually raced into Texas with an impressive cold pool of air. The cold pool is simply a build-up of rain-cooled air that tends to push the storms south.
Take a look at the archived radar image on the left from early this morning. This complex is known as a mesoscale convective system (MCS). They are typically nocturnal storm systems that feed on the low level jet around 5,000 ft. They tend to die off shortly after sunrise as the low level jet weakens due to atmospheric mixing. This intense bowing line is called a "line echo wave pattern", and they're known to produce damaging winds over 60 mph.
What I really want you to focus on are the circulations I have drawn in over the radar. These circulations are the reason the line of storms bow and create wind damage. On the northern end, you have a counterclockwise circulation, while the southern end produces a clockwise rotation. They help to produce an inflow jet that bows the line of storms. These circulations are known as "book-end vorticies".
Now take a look at the second radar image on the right. The counter clock wise circulation remained in tact through the early morning hours, which helped to fuel severe weather across eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. The eastern side of the circulation created enough low level wind shear to create a small tornado near Figure Five.
Without these important circulations, the storms would lack proper structure, and most likely die off.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 3:18 PM
0 comments
A RIDGE BUILDING IN
L
We're still anticipating our weather being strongly influenced over the next few days by a developing ridge of high pressure which should hold into the weekend. High heights are building into to the south west and some locations are flirting with record heat. Some of this area will be moving our way and we'll be seeing or should I say "feeling" our warmest temps of the season thus far.
Today is also the last day of Spring. It's been a relatively mild season, though now we do look to heat up. How many 100 degree days might be in store for us this year? Last year in the River Valley the magic number was 28.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 6:48 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Tuesday's Outflow Storms
What a hot and humid afternoon, well, oppressive is a better way of putting it. Heat index values jumped well into the 90s and lower 100s. Most of the area didn't see a single drop of rain; however, that wasn't the case for everybody. An outflow boundary from leftover morning convection provided the focus for showers and storms, mainly south of I-40. This boundary, along with CAPE values close to 5,000, sparked afternoon showers and storms capable of quarter size hail and heavy rainfall.
This is a visible satellite picture where the red line denotes the outflow boundary. Notice the cumulus line along the boundary.
Here are pictures from 40/29 storm chaser Brian Emfinger. These are impressive anvil pictures from the storms near Mena and Alma. These storms don't tend to move very fast since the upper level winds are rather light.
Posted by Drew Michaels at 3:47 PM
0 comments
DROUGHT COMPARISON 2006 / 2007
All in all we’re looking pretty green across the land. Rainfall has been at least steady for most of us, and steady plus, almost to the point of excess, for some others in select locations.
Check out the top map. Such was the status of drought conditions across the country just one year ago. Most of Oklahoma was experiencing a bad drought. I remember driving through parts of the Sooner state last year and feeling somewhat saddened at how brown and utterly dry everything looked. Arkansas, although not quite as bad off, was definitely dry too. For some of us in the River Valley, our taste buds were given a nasty jolt when the water supply went from Lake Fort Smith to the tail waters of Lee Creek. Yuck!
Well, the middle and bottom maps tell a completely different story, and my oh my, what a difference a year has made. There is presently no drought across the state of OK and just a plume of dry conditions stretches into the eastern part of our area in AR. Let’s hope the trend continues!
Posted by Ted Zarras at 9:00 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 18, 2007
Pattern Shift.......Hot Temps
It's been an interesting month across our area. Some spots like Benton and Polk counties have received between 3 and 5 inches of rainfall; however, many locations throughout the River Valley have been short changed with under an inch of rain.
Over the last week, our weather pattern has been pretty consistent with the jetstream well to our north, and a cutoff low moving across the central plains. This low has now been reduced to a wave of low pressure depicted below at 500 mb. (18,000ft) Notice how the upper level winds shift direction in response to this disturbance.
Over the last week, our weather pattern has been pretty consistent with the jetstream well to our north, and a cutoff low moving across the central plains. This low has now been reduced to a wave of low pressure depicted below at 500 mb. (18,000ft) Notice how the upper level winds shift direction in response to this disturbance.
We're looking for warmer temperatures to build back in throughout the rest of this week. The upper level pattern will feature a dominating ridge of high pressure to engulf the central part of the country, and notice the wind flow takes on an Omega block shape, which means the pattern will not change rapidly; moreover, this ridge will allow for temperatures at 850 mb to warm between 20 and 23 degrees, which will ultimately push surface temperatures into the upper 80s and low to mid 90s toward the weekend. Enjoy the rain while we have it!
Posted by Drew Michaels at 4:32 PM
0 comments
SUMMER SOLSTICE
The official start of Summer takes place on June 21st at 18:06 GMT. We'll have 14 hours and 33 minutes of daylight with the sun rising at 6:03 AM and setting at 8:36 PM.
It's looking like temperatures will be cooperating with the occasion too, making us feel right at home, seasonally speaking.
Let's pretend, for the moment, that you're the person standing on the Earth in the picture to the left, living in Topeka, Kansas, around 40° N latitude. The picture on the left shows the view from the solar system (upper panel), and from on the surface of the earth (lower panel). Notice that some of the same features are labelled on each panel.
The upper panel shows that on the summer solstice (which occurs around June 21), the northern half of the Earth is tilted towards the Sun. Notice that the Sun is north of the equator. For you in Topeka, the altitude of the Sun at noon is 73.5°, which is pretty high in the sky. In fact, that is as high as the Sun ever gets at that latitude. It has been getting higher and higher in the sky since the winter solstice and through the vernal equinox. The bottom panel shows how the Sun moves through the sky for someone standing on the ground in Topeka.
So in general, the northern hemisphere is getting more direct sunlight, which heats the Earth most efficiently, than the southern hemisphere. This is summer for people in the northern hemisphere. During the summer, the Sun is also above the horizon longer than it is during the winter. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year.
At this same time, the southern half of the Earth is tilted away from the Sun. If you were living in Neuquen, Argentina (roughly -40° S latitude) you would be bundled up for the winter.
How high the Sun gets in your sky, and how long it is above the horizon during the day, depend not only on the season, but also on your latitude.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 1:00 PM
0 comments
Morning UPDATE
Visible Satelite Image
Surfaced based CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy)
Note how well the visible satellite shot and the map of surface based CAPE match up. Most of the convection is happening in the area where the atmosphere is not inhibited by a layer of warm air aloft. This area is not “capped”. Areas in blue are regions of CIN or locals where there is Convective Inhibition. These areas are capped.
We’re seeing showers and thunderstorms develop in association with the same cut-off Low we’ve been discussing over the past several days. A healthy Low Level Jet (LLJ) developed last night and sustained a batch of convection in the early morning hours across parts of eastern OK. A wave spiraling around the low coupled with the LLJ prompted a Tornado watch box and some big storms on the southern side of the box where the atmosphere was most unstable. We’re still tracking a boundary that will in essence push out the Low and kick off more activity over the next 24 hours or so. Some of these storms may contain hail and gusty winds.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 11:30 AM
0 comments
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Plight of a closed Low
Look closely and there is still one closed isobar in northern Texas. This enigmatic feature truly has a mind of its own. For the past several days this feature has been responsible for kicking off some heavy localized showers and t-storms and once again for tomorrow, its likely to do it again. Looking upstream though, the same trough that we recently talked about is progressing nicely across the country. Rain chances will carry into the first part of the week as this system drapes through, though we then look to get under a ridge towards the end of the week which ought to make it feel exactly like summer right around the solstice, which is on Saturday.I still pose the question... when will we crack 100F?
Perhaps a little contest is in order. Stay tuned for more on this.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 7:20 PM
0 comments
48 hour rainfall totals
As of Sunday evening, 7:00 PM
Arkansas
Cedarville .48"
Mena 1.25"
Van Buren .22"
Fort Smith .14"
Fayetteville .04"
Oklahoma
Wister .75"
Sallisaw .99"
Cookson .32"
Mt. Herman .98"
Jay .08"
Arkansas
Cedarville .48"
Mena 1.25"
Van Buren .22"
Fort Smith .14"
Fayetteville .04"
Oklahoma
Wister .75"
Sallisaw .99"
Cookson .32"
Mt. Herman .98"
Jay .08"
Posted by Ted Zarras at 7:10 PM
0 comments
THIS DAY IN 1885 & a link to the NOAA CENTRAL LIBRARY
This is just a little FYI that you may find interesting.
June 17th 1885: The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship Isere. To me it seems as if Lady Liberty has been there forever, but its just been some 122 years. I checked some archived data from the NOAA Central Library and it appears as if the morning low was 64.9 F, with a dewpoint of 57 and the past 24hrs. had produced .02" of rain.
The linked website has data going back to 1871.
Check it out.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 7:00 PM
0 comments
Saturday, June 16, 2007
POTEAU STORM PICTURE!
Check out this photo that a weather tracker in the Poteau area sent in of a late-day thunderstorm. We received several calls about how ominous the sky was looking in the area around the 5:30 to 7:00 PM time frame. On radar the storm blossomed over the area just south of the Sugarloaf Mountains. The terrain might have very well helped initiate the convection. The storm never met severe criteria although there were likely some strong winds along the leading edge and our Superdoppler radar was picking up on a little small hail.With our winds out of the SE, storm movement throughout the day was to the NW. This is somewhat anomalous to the general motion of storms in our area, which is to the NE. Winds around a Low in the northern hemisphere move in a counter clockwise fashion and with the Low parked to our southwest over the past few days, we’ve been seeing this type of storm track. Another factor in this somewhat strange motion is due to the fact that our winds aloft are light. So, the motion of the Low has been showing up well as showers and storms have developed, greatly aided by daytime heating.
We’re likely to see somewhat of a repeat performance of rain activity tomorrow afternoon, though like today it will be very hit or miss. One weather tracker in the Paris region reported a half inch of rain out of just one storm and another reported over and inch and a quarter from down in the Mena area. You may feel a bit more lucky if you live south of I-40, that’s where the best chance of getting wet will be.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 11:25 PM
0 comments
A TROUGH FOR US?
The trough over the Pacific NW is our glimpse of hope for a cool down. The latest data supports a dryer air mass moving in, though air at 850mb really begins to warm up. We are now officially one week from the start of summer. We may just cross this imaginary threshold with very summer-like high temps.So when do you think we’ll top 100F, and how many times this year will it happen?
Comments…
Posted by Ted Zarras at 9:15 PM
0 comments
RAIN
Here are a few fun facts about rain; or a lack there of!
One inch of rain over one square mile equals 17.4 million gallons of water weighing 143 million pounds (about 72,000 tons), or the weight of a train with 40 boxcars.
One inch of rain over one square mile equals 17.4 million gallons of water weighing 143 million pounds (about 72,000 tons), or the weight of a train with 40 boxcars.
Mount Waialeale, Hawaii, is the rainiest place in the world, with an average of 460" (11,680 mm). Death Valley, CA is the driest place in the U.S. with an average of 1.35" (34 mm).
Cherrapunjee is situated in eastern India about 15 miles north of the India-Bangladesh border. On June 16, 1995, an astounding 62" (1,575 mm) of rain fell in just 24 hours. The year 1974 saw a total of 967" (24,560 mm), with 323" (8,200 mm) just in July. That's 10" (254 mm) a day for an entire month.
The driest place in the world is the Atacama desert near the Andes in South America. It's marked by an almost "lunar-like" landscape, nearly devoid of plants, animals and insects. The average rainfall there is less than a millimeter a year, about the thickness of most paper currency.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 8:00 PM
0 comments
Friday, June 15, 2007
THIS DAY IN WEATHER
1992 The second largest two-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history commenced as a developing cumulus cloud broke through the cap in north central Kansas and exploded into a huge supercell thunderstorm. Between 4:15 and 8:35 PM CDT, this supercell produced 39 tornadoes in north central Kansas, including 12 in Mitchell County and 9 in Osborne County. A farmer living south of Cawker City reported going to the basement in his farm home five different times and each time he came out of the basement, his farm had additional damage. He also reported that at one time, he counted three tornadoes on the ground and four funnels in the air. Damage to property in Mitchell County exceeded $12 million.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 9:00 AM
0 comments
Mid-Morning UPDATE
Showers along with embedded thunderstorms along a line just south of Tulsa, stretching through Muskogee and McAlester to points around the Mena area, are continuing to develop as an upper level storm system moves gradually to the east southeast. We’ll look for numerous showers and thunderstorms by the afternoon across our entire area, ramped up by daytime heating.
Localized heavy downpours are possible. Please do not try to cross flooded roads. Expect increasing breaks of sun as we move from Saturday into Sunday, though we’ll likely still have some pop-up showers and storms on both days. Our pattern does look to break by the middle of the upcoming week as a less humid air mass moves in, though temperatures will likely climb to some of the hottest readings we’ve seen thus far.
Localized heavy downpours are possible. Please do not try to cross flooded roads. Expect increasing breaks of sun as we move from Saturday into Sunday, though we’ll likely still have some pop-up showers and storms on both days. Our pattern does look to break by the middle of the upcoming week as a less humid air mass moves in, though temperatures will likely climb to some of the hottest readings we’ve seen thus far.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 7:10 AM
0 comments
Thursday, June 14, 2007
7:00 PM Update
Check out this visible satellite shot, which was snapped at 6:30 PM. The clouds that appear bubble-like within the yellow circles are the tops of some pretty intense thunderstorms. They’ve reached the EL or equilibrium level at the top of the troposphere. At this height, some 40,000 feet up or so, the atmosphere begins to warm and the rising air associated with the storm becomes cooler than the surrounding environment, thus loosing its ability to move upward. From the ground looking up at the top of the storms, if upper level winds are fast, the tops get blown downwind from the storm, giving them a characteristic “anvil” shape.
These storms are moving to the north northeast and will begin to weaken as we loose the heat of the day. A stray shower south of I-40 can not be ruled out. As the same upper level Low that we’ve been talking about for the past few days s l o w l y meanders south and eastward throughout the evening and into tomorrow, our rain chances will go up substantially. Most of us stand a pretty good chance of getting some rain tomorrow afternoon. If you happen to get a storm to go over your area, that may translate into quite a bit of the wet stuff.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 5:04 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
PRECIPITABLE WATER
Precipitable Water is simply the amount of water contained in an imaginary “column” of air, stretching from the surface up through the top of the atmosphere. High values give a nice indication of where heavy rain may occur and conversely low values infer a much dryer air mass.
Note how on the national map of precipitable water (top map), values across the central part of the country are high. Much of this available moisture has stemmed in from the Gulf from a constant southerly component to the wind field. The zoomed in map (middle) showcases just how much water is in place over much of central Oklahoma.
Lastly, a quick check of satellite data confirms that not only is the area moisture rich, but thunderstorm activity is present and developing along boundaries from previous bouts of convection as well as along a weak frontal barrier which is providing a focal point.
Last year I remember constantly starting out each weathercast with a look at the present burn bans. At one point the entire state of OK was banned from burning. 2007, as of now, is a much different year. Unfortunately, the rain has been somewhat feast or famine; many communities are probably saying “enough is enough”!
Posted by Ted Zarras at 11:30 AM
0 comments