Powerful Surface Low and Kansas Bust

What an incredible weather day yesterday around here. The wind was simply incredible with strong tropical storm force winds for most of the day. It has been a few years since we've seen such a powerful and large surface low pressure system like this ejecting into the plains. In fact, it is definitely among the strongest I've seen in the past 20 years. I have fond chasing memories of those years when system like this would occur early in the season. So far, it certainly appears that a very active chase season is ahead of us.

60-70mph wind gusts were pretty common along with scattered damage. There appeared to be a corridor of wind maxima from around Dalhart to Dumas to Claude where 70mph gusts seemed to be concentrated. Howevre, high winds and associated damaged occurred anywhere from E Co and W KS through W TX and alot of western Oklahoma into North Central Texas around DFW. Here are a few of the many storm reports...remember, these are non-thunderstorm winds.

1/2 mile S of Lake Meridith:
METAL ROOF PEELD OFF...STRUCK SEVERAL BUILDINGS.
SHINGLES PEELED OFF MULTIPLE STRUCTURES WEST OF FRITCH
FORTRESS. 2 VEHICLE CARPORT BLOWN DOWN IN FRITCH.

Cactus, TX:
UNOCCUPIED TRAILER ROLLED...POWER POLE SNAPPED

Hutchinson, TX:
ROOF OFF TRAILER BLOWN INTO A CAR WASH...NUMEROUS
STORAGE BUILDINGS BLOWN DOWN...2 STORY GARAGE BLOWN DOWN
WITH DEBRIS BLOWING ONTO HWY 687.

And back at my previous home town in McKinney, TX:
TWO ELECTRIC POLES AND SEVERAL TREES DOWNED. POWER
OUTAGES REPORTED. NUMEROUS HOUSES WITH SHINGLES BLOWN OFF.

Some images:





I'd also like to offer my thoughts on why KS didn't have a more active cold core event. Even though a couple of cells fired up with funnel clouds, they quickly petered out. My analysis showed that the dryslot was way too strong and powerful and shoved an occluded front well into N KS. The inflow immediately north of this front was in the 40's. Very simply, the surface low as way too strong and powerful.

Also, it never appeared to me that this was a true closed upper low. I watched a strong lobe of vorticity rotate around the southern periphery through the Red River Valley into Oklahoma and SE KS. (which was associated with the dust plume and stronger surface winds too..interestingly). This created a distorted and oblong circulation center.

What a wild start to 2007! The trend and pattern we've seen over the winter months continues as we approach spring. I'm certainly enjoying it...from a tornado one day to snow and 60mph winds with a sand storm the next morning. :-) April and May could be pretty wild themselves. Stay tuned!