Strong to severe thunderstorms are forecast later this afternoon and this evening within the yellow shaded area on the above image. Large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the primary threats, though an isolated tornado cannot be completely ruled out, particularly with any storm that is able to remain isolated and become well organized.
Thunderstorms are likely to develop by mid to late afternoon near the Western edge of the severe weather outlook area, and progress Eastward throughout the late afternoon and evening hours. One or more clusters of storms may organize across southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma by mid to late evening and move East/Southeast into adjacent portions of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas by late evening or early tonight.
Very large hail is possible with some of the storms this afternoon and evening, especially within the black hatched area on the image below:
Hailstones may exceed 2 inches in diameter in that area, which includes the Tulsa, Ponca City, Wichita, Salina, Emporia, Topeka and Chanute areas.
If you live across the severe weather threat area for today, please remain alert. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio, local media or another trusted source for the latest information and possible warnings.
Be sure to identify your best sheltering option and be prepared to move there quickly if threatening weather is observed or a warning is issued for your area.
For more information, including "live blogging" during rapidly changing weather events, please be sure to follow me on facebook and/or twitter:
Giant hailstones ravaged the country during the last week of May 2012. I'm not just talking about "the usual suspects" in the Plains states either. New York, Vermont and New Hampshire also experience severe thunderstorms with very large hail on Tuesday, May 29th - the same day that parts of the Oklahoma City Metro area experienced very large hail. The Wichita, KS area got in on the act the following day, May 30th.
Lets take a closer look at each of these events, in chronological order....
Upstate New York and New England - Tuesday, May 29, 2012:. A late spring storm system produce unusually large hail across portions of upstate New York and Vermont during the peak heating of the afternoon.
The Lake George and Bolton areas in eastern New York state were particularly hard hit, with widespread reports of tennis to baseball sized hail. The photo below was taken in Bolton Landing. Keep in mind that the hailstones had melted a little bit before this photo was taken:
via NWS Albany's facebook Page
Kids in Walpole, NH collected bowls full of golfball to tennis ball sized hail:
via facebook
Golfball to tennis ball sized hail also took place near Stratford, NY:
via facebook
This was the scene in nearby Lake George. Note the leaves being stripped off of the trees by golfball to tennis ball sized hail:
It's not that hail doesn't fall in New England during the spring and summer - but golfball to baseball sized hail taking place over such a widespread area of New England is very unusual. Such an event typically takes place about once every 10 to 15 years. Next stop, an area that probably wishes that a big hailstorm only took place every 10 or 15 years (except for the severe weather fans, of course)... Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City Metro Area - Tuesday, May 29, 2012: Parts of the Oklahoma City metro area were struck by giant hail during the evening hours of Tuesday, May 29th. Two separate severe thunderstorms converged on the city, one from the Southwest and the other from the Northwest.
The storm that originated to the Northwest packed the strongest punch, with 5 inch diameter hail first reported near Piedmont. An Oklahoma City Fox News crew in the area picked up one of the huge hailstones, which had likely melted a bit before this photo was taken:
via twitter - Fox News OKC
Tennis ball to baseball sized hail was reported over parts of especially western and northern Oklahoma City, including The Village and from near Tuttle to near Mustang.
via twitter
Not a common adjective for hail, but why not? CD sized:
via facebook
The following video shows hail plopping into a pool, shredding leaves off of the trees, and causing damage to a skylight in one Oklahoma City area home:
The hailstones were even larger in this video taken in northwest Oklahoma City. You can clearly see hailstones of at least baseball size falling on several occasions:
Property damage will go well into the millions of dollars from this event in Oklahoma City.
Wichita, KS Area - Wednesday, May 30, 2012: A thunderstorm producing mainly quarter to golfball sized hail moved generally West to East across the central and northern two-thirds of Wichita, KS during the early evening hours of Wednesday, May 30, 2012.
Dale Lawrence - via twitter
Matt Katzenberger - via twitter
Andrea Vincent - via twitter
via twitter user "vandel1226"
Hail caused significant damage to all of the greens at the Sim Park Golf Course, which was closed the entire day afterward for repairs
Ankur Tangirala - via twitter
A few YouTube videos have emerged that show the hail, of varying size, as it fell across the city (location provided below video when available):
Near Central and Ridge Rd.
Not only was there damage done to roofs and vehicles in the area, but there were "garden casualties" as well, and the following person who shot and posted this video to YouTube is none too happy about it (nor is his daughter):
Isn't it amazing what can happen over just a 2 day period in late May across the United States? Just when you're about ready to write-off severe weather season, we're proven vulnerable yet again...
It will take weeks, if not months, for all of the roofs to be repaired or replaced and the hail dents to be removed from vehicles (assuming they can be) across these areas. In many cases, there will be more work to be done than the local companies can handle in such a short period of time. This means that out of town roofing and hail dent repair companies will be heading into these areas.
If you have suffered damage and must use a company that is not local, be sure to ask to see their credentials (for that matter, you'll want to do this even if they are local). Do a quick online search, you'll be surprised what you can find on Google these days! Also check with their local Better Business Bureau or other rating agencies. In the case of a roofing company, you can also check on their licensing status to see if any complaints have been filed with their home state. Always ask to see current proof of commercial liability insurance as well, that way you are protected if they cause any other damage to your property while making the repairs.
Our sister site, WeatherGuidance.com provides a service to guide qualified roofing companies, glass replacement and hail dent repair services to the areas that need the most assistance. If you are such a company and would like more information, please visit our HailSwath program page for more details and an interactive demonstration of how the program works.
For more information, including "live blogging" during rapidly changing weather events, please be sure to follow me on facebook and/or twitter:
A tornado and related tornadic waterspout took place in Hampton, VA during the evening hours of Friday, June 1, 2012. The photos above and below show the tornado as it was approaching Hampton in the waterspout stage (via twitter @worldcastnews):
The following video, posted on YouTube, appears to show the tornadic waterspout stage as well (note, the camera is upright once the video starts):
The following video was shot near Suffolk, VA, looking North toward Hampton. You can see power flashes toward the end of the video as the tornado moved into Hampton. Awesome lightning strikes are also visible from time to time:
Paul Motley caught the tornado on video as it caused damage at the Hampton Yacht Club:
So far, other than the damage to boats, etc., at the Yacht Club, there appears to be widespread damage to trees and power lines throughout the city.
Officials with the City of Hampton describe the hardest hit areas as Merrimac Shores, Park Place and the downtown area, where most of the power was out on Friday night. They have released the following map showing their approximation as to the track of the tornado (solid black line - based on damage reports), as well as road closures as of 9am EDT on Saturday, June 2nd (click to enlarge):
Most of the structural damage that I've seen so far appears to be related to trees and/or tree limbs falling on structures, and broken windows.
Thankfully, there have been no reports of serious injuries.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Wakefield has completed their survey and have ranked the tornado EF-1 intensity. The survey indicates that the tornado was 0.3 miles wide at its maximum width, and the path length was 3.5 miles.
For more information, including "live blogging" during rapidly changing weather events, please be sure to follow me on facebook and/or twitter:
We are in a "near live" blogging mode on facebook and occasionally on twitter, so for updates on the rapidly changing situation across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, please follow me there if you haven't already:
Strong to severe thunderstorms are developing rapidly across central and eastern Virginia at this hour, as well as Southward into the Carolinas:
Large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the primary threats initially, with an isolated tornado possible. As the afternoon wears on, especially after 3-4pm EDT, the tornado threat will increase, as a band of stronger middle and upper level winds and energy moves into the region from the West.
Tornado Watches have been issued across much of the region, valid until 9pm EDT this evening:
The Tornado Watches include the Baltimore/Washington areas, as well as Richmond and Roanoke.
If you live across this region, please remain alert this afternoon and evening. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio, local media or another trusted source for the latest information and possible warnings.
You can monitor the latest regional radar on the Radar Headquarters page of our sister site, WeatherGuidance.com. We also have the Baltimore / Washington area radar sector up live there and on the blog as well. We will likely add another sector as the afternoon progresses.
You can view the latest watch and warning information on the Severe Weather Homepage. This page is being updated with new content and formats being added daily, so please check back often...
For more information, including "live blogging" during rapidly changing weather events, please be sure to follow me on facebook and/or twitter:
June 1 marks the "official" beginning of the tropical weather season in the Atlantic Basin.
All Known Tropical Storm/Hurricane Tracks in the Atlantic Basin
As we all know, however, the weather isn't particularly fond of following a calendar, and that has certainly been the case in the tropics so far this year. We've already seen tropical storms Alberto and Beryl, so you can scratch those two off of the list of 2012 Atlantic storm names below:
Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Florence Gordon Helene Isaac Joyce Kirk Leslie Michael Nadine Oscar Patty Rafael Sandy Tony Valerie William Remember that in both the Pacific and Atlantic basins, a system becomes "named" when it reaches Tropical Storm or Hurricane strength. Tropical Depressions are given a number.
In case you'd like a brief refresher course, below is how things typically progress in the tropics (Pacific or Atlantic) as far as the formation and classification of a system are concerned: (1). Tropical Wave - developing area of low pressure where thunderstorms are still relatively disorganized. No real center or sustained wind field. A name or number is not formally assigned to this type of system, however it may eventually be given an "Invest" (or area of investigation) number as it develops further.
(2). Tropical Depression - developing area of low pressure with more organized thunderstorm activity. Develops an area with sustained winds of 38 mph or less. A number is assigned to the system once it reaches this stage (i.e., Tropical Depression One, Two, Three, etc.)
(3). Tropical Storm - organized area of low pressure & thunderstorm activity with sustained winds of 39-73 mph. A formal name is given to the system at this stage.
(4). Hurricane - organized area of low pressure & thunderstorm activity with sustained winds greater than 73 mph. Continues with the same name assigned once it reached Tropical Storm strength.
Once a system reaches Hurricane strength, it is also assigned an intensity on the "Saffir-Simpson Scale" (similar to the EF-scale used for tornadoes). For more on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, see this post.
During the month of June, the most common origin points of tropical storms and hurricanes are located in the southern Gulf of Mexico and across the southwest Atlantic, adjacent to the southeast U.S coast:
Keep in mind, the above are just the "average" starting points during the month of June, which is the least active month of the entire tropical season (which ends in November). The bar chart below will give you an idea as to how each season behaved since the late 1800s (click to enlarge):
Please view this post for a complete rundown of tropical weather safety and preparedness tips, as well as information on the differences between various tropical weather watches and warnings.
As I always like to point out, there is no reason to fear a particular severe weather season if you are prepared. Taking a few minutes right around the start of the season, followed by a "refresher" course every once and awhile throughout the season will keep you up to date and prepared in the event that a system threatens your area.
For the latest updates on tropical weather activity throughout the season in both the Pacific and Atlantic basins, be sure to check out the Tropical Weather Headquarters on our sister site, WeatherGuidance.com.
For more information, including "live blogging" during rapidly changing weather events, please be sure to follow me on facebook and/or twitter:
Severe thunderstorms are forecast within the heavily populated "I-95 Corridor" from the Carolinas up into the Nation's Capital today, as shown by the yellow shaded area on the above image.
Large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the primary threats, however there is an area where conditions may also favor isolated tornadoes from more organized cells, as indicated by the yellow shaded area on the image below (which includes the Baltimore and Washington DC Metro areas as well as Richmond, VA):
Severe storms are forecast to develop and increase along and ahead of a frontal boundary during the afternoon, near the Western edge of the severe weather outlook area. The activity will then move and develop East/Northeastward into the evening hours.
As mentioned above, damaging wind gusts will be one of the primary threats today, especially within the red shaded area on the image below:
Another pocket of severe weather is forecast over the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle region. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected to form in this region by late afternoon and continue into the evening. Large hail, damaging wind gusts and an isolated tornado are possible in this region.
If you live in or near any of the severe weather threat areas for today, please remain alert and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Make sure to identify your best sheltering option and be prepared to move there quickly if threatening weather is observed or a warning issued.
For all of the latest severe weather updates throughout the day, visit the Severe Weather Headquarters page at our sister site, WeatherGuidance.com. New content is being added to this page daily, so check back often for updates. We will also feature zoomed-in local radar sectors in particular areas once severe weather gets underway later today.
For more information, including "live blogging" during rapidly changing weather events, please be sure to follow me on facebook and/or twitter:
