Friday, July 22, 2011

July 22: Tornado Warning- Bismarck, ND


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN BURLEIGH COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN MORTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...
  SOUTHEASTERN OLIVER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 1100 PM CDT

* AT 1024 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SWEET BRIAR LAKE...OR 20 MILES WEST OF
  BISMARCK...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  MANDAN AROUND 1045 PM CDT.
  BISMARCK AROUND 1050 PM CDT.
  LINCOLN AROUND 1055 PM CDT.

July 22- Possible Derecho Heading for Bismarck, ND

Discussion... The squall line that formed earlier in the day has since bowed out into a derecho-like complex. Velocities indicate outstanding wind speeds, especially in the northern regions of this bowing structure. Tornado warnings are being hoisted with this complex. We believe it may have to do with the very intense velocities, but we are not completely sure. What we do know, though, is that this complex will begin (if not already) moving northeast and eventually move into Canada.
Either way, all people in Bismarck should keep an eye out for this structure- it's not one you want to come across, that's for sure.

July 22: Tornado Warning (Funnel Cloud)- Regent, ND


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN HETTINGER COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...
  SOUTHEASTERN SLOPE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 900 PM MDT

* AT 828 PM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 7
  MILES SOUTHEAST OF AMIDON...OR 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF BOWMAN. A
  TORNADO MAY DEVELOP AT ANY TIME. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM MOVING EAST AT 60 MPH.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  NEW ENGLAND AROUND 845 PM MDT.
  HAVELOCK AROUND 850 PM MDT.
  REGENT AROUND 900 PM MDT.

July 22, 2011 Cloud-To-Cloud Lightning Video

Copyright The Weather Centre.

Any reproduction, redistribution, or altering of these videos without permission is considered illegal and punishable by federal law.

July 22: Amber Alert- New Jersey


BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE
NEW JERSEY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY MOUNT HOLLY NEW JERSEY
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
733 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 2011

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE NEW
JERSEY STATE POLICE MISSING PERSONS UNIT.

THE NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE IS ACTIVATING THE AMBER ALERT PLAN.
THE PHILLIPSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT IS INVESTIGATING A CONFIRMED
CHILD ABDUCTION WHICH OCCURRED IN PHILLIPSBURG AT APPROXIMATELY
540 PM ON JULY 22 2011. THE CHILD`S NAME IS DANIELLE. SHE IS 19
MONTHS OLD WHITE FEMALE. SHE WAS LAST SEEN WEARING A DIAPER.

THE SUSPECT, DAMON S MAMMORA, IS A WHITE MALE APPROXIMATELY 32
YEARS OLD WITH BROWN EYES. HE IS APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET 10 INCHES
TALL AND WEIGHTS ABOUT 150 POUNDS. HE WAS WEARING A BLACK SHIRT
AND JEANS AND HAS A SHAVED HEAD.

THE SUSPECT WAS SEEN OPERATING A 2009 HYUNDAI 4 DOOR WHITE VEHICLE,
WITH THE NEW JERSEY PLATE WWT64V, POSSIBLY HEADING TO 187 WEST
PORTAL ROAD IN ASBURY, WARREN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

July 22: Tornado Warning (Tornado Confirmed)- Dickinson, ND


THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL BILLINGS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...
  WESTERN STARK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 815 PM MDT

* AT 737 PM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR
BELFIELD...OR 20 MILES WEST OF DICKINSON. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS
TORNADO MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SOUTH HEART.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID
WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE
CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK AT
701-223-4582.

Tornado Watch #673

A tornado watch has been issued for the west half of North Dakota, and NW South Dakota.


URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
   TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 673
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   535 PM CDT FRI JUL 22 2011
   
   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
   TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 
   
          WESTERN AND SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA
          NORTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA
   
   EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY MORNING FROM 535 PM
   UNTIL 200 AM CDT.
   
   TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
   GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
   AREAS.
   
   THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 90 STATUTE
   MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 70 MILES NORTHWEST OF MINOT
   NORTH DAKOTA TO 55 MILES SOUTH OF LEMMON SOUTH DAKOTA.  FOR A
   COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE
   UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).
   
   REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
   TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
   AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
   THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
   AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

July 22- Severe Weather Update

A tornado watch is in effect for East Montana until 9:00 PM MDT.

Discussion... Regional radar indicates strong to severe thunderstorms have formed in East Montana. As expected, these storms are congealing into a squall line, which will continue to strengthen as it scrapes South Dakota and barrels into North Dakota.
There is potential for this squall line to possess derecho-like features, and that is the main concern- damaging winds.
The red area in the map above indicates an immediate threat. All people in the red box should immediately prepare for potentially life-threatening winds. The blue area in the map indicates a distinct threat. All people in the blue area should make preparations sometime soon for potentially life-threatening winds.

July 22 Moderate Risk Severe Weather Discussion




A moderate risk of severe weather has just been issued for the following areas:
-SW North Dakota
-NE South Dakota
-E Montana

Below is The SPC'S Outlook:
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF THE EASTERN
MONTANA....WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA LATER
   TODAY AND TONIGHT...
   
   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK IS FORECASTING THE
   DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS OVER PARTS OF THE
   EASTERN MONTANA....WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA
   LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.
   
   THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THIS ACTIVITY INCLUDE
   
          EASTERN MONTANA
          WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA
          NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA
   
   ELSEWHERE...SEVERE STORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE FROM ERN MT AND NERN WY
   ACROSS THE DAKOTAS TO ERN NEB...IA...SRN MN AND WRN WI.
   
   A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
   THIS AFTERNOON AND ENCOUNTER A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS FROM EASTERN MT
   INTO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS. LIFT AND INCREASING WIND SHEAR WITH THIS
   SYSTEM WILL PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUMEROUS SEVERE STORMS WITH
   LOCALLY HIGH WINDS AND LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE. STORMS WILL CONGEAL INTO
   A FAST-MOVING SQUALL LINE THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING WITH
   DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE FROM MONTANA INTO THE
   DAKOTAS.
   
   STATE AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE MONITORING THIS DEVELOPING
   SITUATION. THOSE IN THE THREATENED AREA ARE URGED TO REVIEW SEVERE
   WEATHER SAFETY RULES AND TO LISTEN TO RADIO...TELEVISION...AND NOAA
   WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES...WARNINGS...AND STATEMENTS LATER
   TODAY.

July 22 Chicago Storms Q & A

Q: Why were these storms so full of rain?
A: PWAT (Precipitable Water) in the air was very high. For example: when you hear a weatherperson on TV say 'There's 1 inch of water in the air', that means that if all the air were compressed in a column space, there would be one inch of water in that column. Today's storms had upwards of 1.5 inches, producing very heavy rain.

Q: Was this a derecho, like earlier this month?
A: No. Derechos are high-wind events that stick around for at least a few minutes and produce damage. Today, there were only a few reports of 50-60 mph wind reports at max.

Q: I saw a cloud that looked like a bowl upside down. What was that?
A:
If you saw a cloud that looks like this, you were seeing a 'Shelf Cloud'. These clouds look like the title indicates- like a shelf. Shelf clouds can be associated with tornadoes. Shelf clouds are formed when a thunderstorm's outflow, or cooled air, spreads down and out. Warm air condenses this cool air into clouds, and this the shelf-like formation is created. Shelf clouds were sighted in this line of Chicago storms.

Chicago Storms 7/22/11

This is an excellent image taken by one of our viewers as the storms in Chicago rolled in.

It's So Hot that...

...you could cook scrambled eggs on a sidewalk on the East Coast.

Forecast Discussion- North Illinois (July 22- 8:13 AM)

The Weather Centre is watching strong to possibly severe storms moving towards Chicago and surrounding areas.
The last time we had a system like this was the big derecho. I doubt that will happen again, but judging by the strength of the red line, I wouldn't be surprised to find a few branches down and some small hail as VIL's are low.
The strong storms are barreling through an area of elevated CINH, which could stop the storm's strength. However, analyzing recent loops of radar reflectivity has led me to believe these storms have maintained their strength while moving through the CINH (warm air layer that suppresses storms), and should stay at an elevated strength for a while.