Severe Weather Season - HIGH Gear

If you are a fan of severe weather, we have a treat for you...or should I say at least 3 treats.

The SPC has placed the region in a slight risk for 3 consecutive days. Perhaps, you prefer to listen to our weather heroes. You can also use the tools the pros use. And you can find them on the SPC Web site that I have posted in the Miks Piks section. In fact, during the peak 'tornado' season (Apr-Jun), I'll be posting links in this section of the blog.

However, be careful how you try to interpret the 'numbers'. One common mistake I keep making is that all of the severe weather parameters are in place, but no severe weather occurs. Why? Often, it's because the atmosphere several thousand feet high is too warm to support any upward development for clouds because the air parcels rising into this layer become cooler than the surrounding air; therefore, no thunderstorms. We call that a Cap.

That same cap can also act like a lid. Conditions at the surface continue to destabilize while the air above basically traps the 'boiling' contents.

However, when that cap erodes or breaks, then thunderstorms can explode in a hurry and a fury, as was indicated by this past historic severe weather outbreak.

With the upcoming storm system, I don't know if we'll be dealing with a cap or not because the Low will have plenty of cool air aloft to support hail stones, microbursts, heavy rainfall, and isolated tornadoes. I still think the main event will occur near the end of the severe weather period, the last of the 3-day period, as a cold front with an accompanying squall line produces damaging winds in its wake.

Well, another update is about due from the SPC...so I'm going to check it out. Be back soon.
MS