Posts Tagged ‘wind’

Tuesday’s Storms, What Happened?

Published on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 09:06

Conley Isom

24 Comments

After the Oklahoma tornadoes in previous days, many of us were on edge for severe weather on Tuesday. The ingredients were in place for a significant event. The models were showing lots of energy in the atmosphere, lots of spin for tornadic storms, and the right combination of surface fronts and upper level energy. The language from several different National Weather Service offices was strong, something you don’t see everyday. But in the end, not one tornado was confirmed. The dots on the map above are hail and wind reports for Tuesday.

We are very thankful that the tornado threat never materialized! There were a couple of tornado warnings north of Houston, but nothing confirmed. However, the storms still packed a punch. We had numerous wind and hail reports in the DFW area, in Bell county, east Texas, and southeast Texas from Lufkin south to Houston. There was also lots of lightning that sadly killed an IHOP employee in Lufkin. So remember, it is not just tornadoes that kill. Any kind of severe weather needs to be taken seriously.

So why no tornadoes? The image above is from Tuesday morning when the Tornado Watch was issued. Notice the area of thunderstorms north of Abilene to Wichita Falls. These storms put out an outflow boundary, or cool air rushing out ahead of storms. Think of it as a mini cold front. This boundary continued moving southeast towards DFW and Central Texas. It would help develop storms, but would quickly undercut them, shutting off the warm and humid air needed for really strong storms. Even when we had an isolated storm north of of Austin that began rotating, the cold air from the outflow boundary kept it from producing a tornado. Eventually, this lead to a line of storms that were behind the boundary and in cooler air, marching east across the state.

This explanation may seem familiar. This spring season, we have had many late season cold fronts that lead to record cold back in April. Those cold fronts, at least the ones that brought us rain, had a chance for severe weather but tended to not be as bad as predicted. Why? Because the cold fronts would undercut the storms. In the case of the Oklahoma tornadoes, there was no cold front diving south and no morning storms. Just a dry line line, heating of the atmosphere, and deadly tornadoes.

Again, we are thankful that we did not see the death and destruction seen in Oklahoma. I think that event had many scared about what could happen. It is ok to be scared but best to be prepared. Take the time to have a plan of action in case severe weather strikes your home and city. Have a weather radio or another means of receiving severe weather alerts. Never depend on outdoor sirens. If you live in a mobile home, find a nearby structure like a gas station or store. Never ride out a tornado in a mobile home. Never climb under an overpass or bridge. For brick homes, a bathroom or interior hallway is your best place to seek shelter. Cover yourself with pillows and blankets. If you have bike or sports helmets, those are good to wear. That saved mane lives in Oklahoma.

Click here to learn more about severe weather safety!

If you need help coming up with a plan or have questions, please ask. We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone for supporting us! Your pictures, videos, and weather reports help out a lot so keep them coming! We also ask you continue to keep those in Oklahoma in our thoughts and prayers.