3/17/08 Radar Images & Analysis
Forgive me as I indulge in some weather weeniness. :-) The severe weather event Tuesday was a real headache to forecast. Mother nature made some moves against us like ol' Barry Sanders against a big fat lineman. The one thing about this system is that a large and very important area was over old Mexico where data is practically non-existent for models to digest. It's always a guarantee that such systems will cause serious forecasting headaches and this one did so in true fashion. It slowed and dug more than expected. Welcome to "forecasting" Texas weather. :-)
Anyway, here are some interesting radar images from Tuesday's severe weather event. The first one is a classic splitting cell near Seymour where my Okie homies were hanging on the street corner and flashing chaser gang symbols as they claimed new turf. ;-)
Then the result I thought at the time would be a spinup from the right cell that split off....a classic signature. However, it would soon die off....much to my amazement. The Oklahoma Gang is the small bluish dot to the east of the hook.
My attention was focused on the big storm of the day in Bandera County not too far southwest of Kerrville at 0019Z. This is a pretty strong velocity couplet (bright reds next to greens indicating outbound winds and inbound winds relative to the radar site) indicating very strong, tight rotation. I have no doubt that a tornado was on the ground during this time period. There's just nobody out there except jackrabbits and cows to report it. Hmmmmm...."COWARN"? LOL!!! (and dig my cool little large hail icon)
Thirty minutes later at 0049z, the rotation is at it's strongest with inbound winds into the storm (the purplish inside the red) maxed out on the level 3 data. The first image is tilt 1 and the second one is tilt 2. I'd say that it's spinning like a top. :-)
This is a reflectivity image 15 minutes later along with velocity tilts 1 & 2. Anybody doubt that a tornado is probably ongoing at this time?
In the midst of all the images above, I captured a pretty neat image of a nice BWER (Bounded Weak Echo Region) at tilt 2 associated with a nice hook at tilt one. Notice the tilt 3 image showing a strong and pronounced overhang or vault region above the BWER. The images are ordered from left to right. The timestamps are the actual scan time at that tilt, so they are offset from each other by a minute or two. Use the small green circle as a common reference point.
One of the interesting things about this storm is it developed out there by itself from all of the other stuff developing a good ways to the NW around Abilene and Coleman County. I wondered what was causing it to form where it did as I did not see anything on surface analysis. However, there were strong southeasterly winds moving upward from the lower-elevation coastal plains to the Edwards Plateu. Could this been just enough orographic lifting to get this storm going in a capped airmass? It's an interesting theory to ponder. I think it certainly had something to do with it.
Check out this second supercell forming in almost the same place as it's predecessor to the northeast in the images above. There is even a third, weaker cell just behind the second one off the screen. So, something was definitely focusing the formation of those storms in that one particular spot...just about the edge of the Edwards Plateau right along the Balcones Escarpment. Talk amongst yourselves. ;-)
So, I hope you found it as interesting as I did. The models are still advertising a favorable shift in the upper pattern starting the middle/latter part of next week. Chase season may finally kick into gear. Here in the PH, there is a chance of snow mixed with rain on Easter. LOL!!! Be gone, ye old man of winter!!
Lastly, I found out Sprint is requiring a two-year agreement on data plans. Ouch. But, if you order it online, you get a free 595U aircard. So, that's not too bad. It would really suck if you bought one and then found out you could have gotten it for free. My freebie is on the way. With that in mind, I'll be selling my WxWorx equipment. I just won't be needing it as I don't expect to chase in areas where it is necessary. The first $500 takes it. Holler at me if you want it or need details.
Anyway, here are some interesting radar images from Tuesday's severe weather event. The first one is a classic splitting cell near Seymour where my Okie homies were hanging on the street corner and flashing chaser gang symbols as they claimed new turf. ;-)
Then the result I thought at the time would be a spinup from the right cell that split off....a classic signature. However, it would soon die off....much to my amazement. The Oklahoma Gang is the small bluish dot to the east of the hook.
My attention was focused on the big storm of the day in Bandera County not too far southwest of Kerrville at 0019Z. This is a pretty strong velocity couplet (bright reds next to greens indicating outbound winds and inbound winds relative to the radar site) indicating very strong, tight rotation. I have no doubt that a tornado was on the ground during this time period. There's just nobody out there except jackrabbits and cows to report it. Hmmmmm...."COWARN"? LOL!!! (and dig my cool little large hail icon)
Thirty minutes later at 0049z, the rotation is at it's strongest with inbound winds into the storm (the purplish inside the red) maxed out on the level 3 data. The first image is tilt 1 and the second one is tilt 2. I'd say that it's spinning like a top. :-)
This is a reflectivity image 15 minutes later along with velocity tilts 1 & 2. Anybody doubt that a tornado is probably ongoing at this time?
In the midst of all the images above, I captured a pretty neat image of a nice BWER (Bounded Weak Echo Region) at tilt 2 associated with a nice hook at tilt one. Notice the tilt 3 image showing a strong and pronounced overhang or vault region above the BWER. The images are ordered from left to right. The timestamps are the actual scan time at that tilt, so they are offset from each other by a minute or two. Use the small green circle as a common reference point.
One of the interesting things about this storm is it developed out there by itself from all of the other stuff developing a good ways to the NW around Abilene and Coleman County. I wondered what was causing it to form where it did as I did not see anything on surface analysis. However, there were strong southeasterly winds moving upward from the lower-elevation coastal plains to the Edwards Plateu. Could this been just enough orographic lifting to get this storm going in a capped airmass? It's an interesting theory to ponder. I think it certainly had something to do with it.
Check out this second supercell forming in almost the same place as it's predecessor to the northeast in the images above. There is even a third, weaker cell just behind the second one off the screen. So, something was definitely focusing the formation of those storms in that one particular spot...just about the edge of the Edwards Plateau right along the Balcones Escarpment. Talk amongst yourselves. ;-)
So, I hope you found it as interesting as I did. The models are still advertising a favorable shift in the upper pattern starting the middle/latter part of next week. Chase season may finally kick into gear. Here in the PH, there is a chance of snow mixed with rain on Easter. LOL!!! Be gone, ye old man of winter!!
Lastly, I found out Sprint is requiring a two-year agreement on data plans. Ouch. But, if you order it online, you get a free 595U aircard. So, that's not too bad. It would really suck if you bought one and then found out you could have gotten it for free. My freebie is on the way. With that in mind, I'll be selling my WxWorx equipment. I just won't be needing it as I don't expect to chase in areas where it is necessary. The first $500 takes it. Holler at me if you want it or need details.
posted by Steve Miller TX at 3/21/2008 10:29:00 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for posting these. one thing I never really do in the field is screen caps. Too much other stuff going on.
If you sell your wxworx and still have inquiries, I'll sell mine for the same price.
Hey, no problem. It's the next best thing to being there. I just wish that cell ya'll were on wouldn't have wimped out so quickly. I guess there is another "Stevoid" out there. LOL!!
I did some more geographical study of the Edwards Plateau and sho 'nuff, these two big storms formed right along the edge of it. So, I'm more convinced that such a geographical feature did play a large part in initiation and sustaining these cells.
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