Archive for June, 2010

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR…
NORTHERN SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ALABAMA…

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 558 PM CDT…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL…AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
MEADOWBROOK…OR 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHELSEA…AND MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
CHELSEA…OAK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK…FOWLER LAKE…MOUNT LAUREL AND
HIGHLAND LAKES.

There has been a little rotation indicated with this storm.  We will continue to monitor it, but wind damage is a real threat for the Inverness and Chelsea areas within the next several minutes.

Wow!  What an outbreak of tornado warnings that is ongoing across portions of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota this afternoon.  Upwards of 12 tornado warnings are ongoing at this time with several touchdowns reported and a couple of large multivortex tornadoes on the ground. One being near the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota.  SPC has maintained a moderate risk with some enhanced wording for strong tornado development this afternoon as these supercells really take off.

Currently Severe Studios Storm Chaser Tim Purington is on a tornadic storm west of Minneapolis at this time.  This storm had a very nice funnel on it just a few minute ago.  Click his name within the post to see his LIVE streaming video through Severe Studios.  We will update with photos from our chasers as soon as something produces in the field and our guys get it!

No need to hate either….as ChaserTV has several great live video feeds available at this time as well across the moderate risk area.  More later.

Well, one would know on the day that my second child will be born that a slight risk of severe storms would be issued for portions of North Alabama.  That’s okay though, because today is my sons day and that is much more important.  Anyway, the biggest risk looks to be damaging winds and hail this afternoon with bulk shear values of around 30-40 knots across the valley.

The image above is of CAPE values during peak heating ranging between 2500-3500 J/Kg.  This will aid in fueling the fire as storms do get going.  Hopefully I can get other members of the storm trackers to step in today if things happen to get out of hand, but we will keep you posted as much as possible.  I will have a post later on the condition of our new one. 

-Brett

The heat will return on Thurday with highs in the low to mid 90′s onace again across most of Central Alabama.  With a weak area of high pressure over the state, the most storm development will be to the west, north, and down along the Gulf Coast with the sea breeze. This really looks to continue throughout the weekend as well with heat indicies topping 100 degrees as we get into Saturday. 

We will take a more in depth look at the tropics in the coming couple of days.  I will be posting pictures tomorrow of our new addition to come during the afternoon hours on tomorrow!  Have a great night.

This evening Andy Gabrielson caught up with a big time tornadic storms across portions of South Dakota.  He streamed several tornadoes LIVE on SevereStudios.com.  Andy was featured on TWC this evening with Greg Forbes.  Andy reports seeing upwards of 9 tornadoes and fellow associate chaser Roger Hill reports seeing as many as 13!  What a day for Severe Studios!

Warnings galore this afternoon with slow moving storms and wet microburst producers all over the state.  The image above was from a little while ago as storms developed across the metro and produced hail up to golf ball sized, 62 mph winds that were measured in the city of Hoover, and heavy rainfall that added up to over 4″ in one hour near the Bessemer area.

These storms continue to move and develop eastward this afternoon bringing some relief to the heat.  Storms are producing heavy rains and deadly lightning none the less.  Keep an eye to the sky this afternoon as your are out and about across the region.

Powered by ScribeFire.

It seems we have completely skipped early summer and gone straight to “the Dog Days”. This will be the norm for the rest of the week with temperatures approaching the upper 90s in the southern portions of the state, although some relief is expected by the weekend. Heat Index values as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit will be likely across much of Alabama today and tomorrow.  If you’re planning on being outside for an extended period of time, be sure to drink plenty of water and/or sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade. Take plenty of breaks in the shade and avoid sunburn if at all possible. Avoid alcoholic beverages as these only dehydrate you at a faster rate.

Showers and thunderstorms have also re-entered the forecast. The National Weather Service in Birmingham is calling for scattered strong to severe storms for today. The main threat with these storms will be gusty winds due to the rapid cooling that occurs with the rainfall associated with them. Also, heavy rains under these storms will cause ponding on roadways. Use caution if driving in prone areas. The following is the current Hazardous Weather Outlook from BMX.

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.  A FEW STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH OR GREATER AS WELL AS BRIEF HEAVY
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.  A FEW STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH OR GREATER AS WELL AS BRIEF HEAVY
RAINFALL.

This should light up nicely with summertime “pop-up” storms over the course of today.

Stay tuned for a possible tropical update later this evening.
~Brandon