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DISCUSSION: As deep convection developed in the vicinity of the Gulf Coast region yesterday afternoon and evening, a very impressive convective structure known as a mesoscale convective complex (MCC) blossomed fairly quickly as seen in the brief visible/infrared satellite imagery loops below as well as the lightning analysis overlay during parts of this brief animated clip! Note how towards the beginning of this MCC's growth stage(s) you can identify the regions of deepest convective growth and expansion by way of the "bubbling" appearance on visible satellite towards the western portions of this impressive MCC. You can also denote the presence of what are referred to as "gravity waves" which are essentially a mechanism by which higher areas of momentum are transferred between the lower and upper portions of the atmosphere and tend to oscillate and they form and move downwind (or to the east) in the Northern Hemisphere! Click here for more neat weather content across the contiguous United States!
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DISCUSSION: As one very active day of severe weather ends and another gets ready to begin, it worth showing some of what will soon be the future or real-time visible satellite imagery analysis during convective outbreaks across the contiguous United States! Here is an example of some 1-minute high-resolution visible satellite imagery which will be a basic standard on the upcoming GOES-R satellite imager. Note the differential cloud types going from west to east! For more neat weather content from across the contiguous United States, click here!
DISCUSSION: A low-pressure system currently developing across Western New Mexico is projected to slowly eject out of the Four Corners region and head towards the Rocky Mountains over the next 24 to 48 hours! As it does so, a very complicated precipitation situation will be evolving across the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains and also across areas east of there too. In the higher elevations, snow totals up to or possibly over 2 feet will be possible; while areas at lower elevations should moreso expect variable periods of mixed precipitation which will limit the overall snowfall totals from this Spring-time winter storm! For more neat weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!
DISCUSSION: As the next high-impact low-pressure system is ramping up across the Central Plains, intense winter storm conditions are being felt across parts of the intermountain west (e.g., parts of Central and Eastern Wyoming). On the side of the story, the Great Plains region is gearing up for what will likely be a very prolific severe weather event over the next 24 to 48 hours across states such as Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Arkansas. The primary threats will include a large potential for damaging winds and large hail as well as a few strong tornadoes (though based on widespread vertical wind profiles, none of them are expected to be long-lived). For more on this developing situation, be sure to stay tuned to the latest high-impact weather content across the contiguous United States by clicking here!
DISCUSSION: In light of the recent severe weather outbreak, here is a truly photogenic example of multiple forms of imagery from which many different perspectives of this recent severe weather can be observed. Note in the first portion, how you can clearly denote the regions of deeper (and rapidly developing) convection by way of the quickly bubbling areas of brighter white clouds via visible satellite imagery. In addition, you are also able to identify many different outflow boundaries which can be identified as thin white lines moving away from the brightest cloud development across nearly all of the region shown in the animation below! Note the incredible complexity associated with this convection as it developed through the afternoon and evening hours in accordance with the diurnal heating through the course of the day! For more neat weather content from across the contiguous United States, be sure to click here!
DISCUSSION: As the primary low-pressure system which has helped to trigger most of the strong thunderstorms across the Plains states continues this afternoon continues to slowly slide eastward with time, the severe weather threat will persist! As observed in the video below (courtesy of the Extreme Chase Group (@ExtrmChaseTours)), there appeared to be a distinctly rotating wall-cloud base only a few minutes ago. This is likely due to the close proximity of this convection to the triple point (i.e., the part of a given low-pressure system where there is an intersection of the associated warm, cold, and occluded front) of the aforementioned primary low-pressure system. Stay tuned for more updates on this latest severe weather event across the Central U.S. by clicking here! 
DISCUSSION: As a strengthening low-pressure system interacted with an advancing warm-front earlier today, an area of strong thunderstorm quickly organized into a bow echo (i.e., a line of strong thunderstorms which bows out as it advances from west to east). As this area of storms continues pushing eastward with time, cities including (but not limited to) St. Louis, Belleville, Edwardsville, Okawville, Centralia, Vandalia, and points further to the east as well. Click here to stay tuned for more on additional rounds of severe weather expected over the next few hours and later tonight!
Following in the footsteps of Earth Day, this week offers earthlings an opportunity to look up and celebrate and appreciate the meteorological sky overhead. Coined National Sky Awareness Week (SAW), the event has been featured in Chase’s Calendar of Events for nearly two decades (after an official start in 1991)…To read the full story, click here. 
DISCUSSION: As we head into the day tomorrow and Wednesday, there will be a very large threat for widespread severe storms as a strengthening low-pressure system positioned over the Central United States injects warm/unstable air into the Central Plains. As a result of this increased buoyant and unstable air surging into the Central Plains states, an extensive area of severe storms capable of producing strong tornadoes, large/damaging hail, and strong winds will be a legitimate possibility. Stay tuned for further updates by clicking here!
DISCUSSION: As this last week of April kicks off, a substantial severe weather threat will quickly develop during the afternoon and evening hours across the Central Plains region of the United States. The main threat appears to be primarily be strong to severe storms that could be capable of producing damaging winds and hail as well as a strong tornado. Be advised that these storms (upon developing) may move very rapidly across large stretches of land which could make observing their development and evolution particularly dangerous so be safe and take shelter during the day tomorrow if severe thunderstorm and/or tornado warnings are issued. For more high-impact weather content across the United States, be sure to click here!
DISCUSSION: As of yesterday evening, there were a number of strong storms which moved through Western Montana. A few of these storms produced an exceptional amount of lightning in a short period of time. As noted in the graphic below, there amazingly was over 32,000 cloud-to-cloud flashes associated with these couple of storms alone! For more high-impact weather content, be sure to click here!
DISCUSSION: As very dry conditions dominated within the low-levels of the atmosphere this weekend across the Desert Southwest, conditions remained favorable for the occurrence(s) of dry microburst across parts of New Mexico (including the images captured in Albuquerque, New Mexico yesterday evening! Just an incredible display of the consequences of dry atmospheric conditions with some minimal moisture present just above the aforementioned dry layer! For more high-impact weather content across the contiguous United States, click here!
DISCUSSION: After a substantial wildfire erupted earlier tonight near Bolivia (located in Brunswick County), an incoming sea-breeze induced a neat interaction by which the smoke plume and wildfire were mitigated by the moisture of the passing sea-breeze boundary. "The plume faded away once the sea breeze boundary lifted north across the fire...noted by the pink arrows. This "undercut" the smoke plume...and the increased moisture likely helped to reduce the intensity of the fire...but the associated wind shift brought smoke into the Wilmington area tonight." as quoted by a meteorologist from the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, North Carolina. For more information on other high-impact weather content across the United States, click here!
DISCUSSION: As of this afternoon, the same low-pressure system which has been directly responsible for the copious amounts of rainfall which have occurred across Southern Texas continues to ever so slowly move off to the east with rainfall finally moving east as well in association with this eastward progression. Nonetheless, a very impressive animation of this system by means of visible satellite imagery with a decreasing threat for heavy rainfall also moving to the east of the next 24 to 48 hours as this system moves east very slowly. For more information on other high-impact weather across the United States, click here!
DISCUSSION: Attached below is the truly incredible evolution of the recent flooding event which has unfolded down in the city of Houston, Texas. Note how there were several rounds of intense convection which occurred during the course of the heavy rainfall with rapidly building rainfall totals over a relatively short period of time. As seen all over the news and across the span of social media outlets, the flooding was devastating and extensive due to the persistent nature of the rainfall which is still continuing through part of today as well! Though the system which is responsible for this persistent, heavy rainfall will slowly pull away over the next couple of days, the floodwaters will take time to subside completely. For further updates on high-impact weather across the United States, be sure to click here!
DISCUSSION: As a nearly stalled low-pressure system continues to slowly move east with time across the Central United States, serious flooding issues are persisting in and around the greater Houston metropolitan area with life-threatening flooding occurring in some areas. Though much of the heaviest rainfall has now subsided, the flooded areas will be slow to drain out due to the much lower elevation associated with these parts of Texas! As the National Weather Service continues to advise people, be sure to turn around and don't drown! For more high-impact weather content from around the nation, click here!
DISCUSSION: As more continued to move through parts of Southern Texas as of earlier this morning and afternoon, a strong squall line developed and quickly headed southeastward through populated areas in and around Houston and Galveston, Texas as indicated in the radar snapshot included in the graphic below courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Houston, Texas! Certainly a situation which has now gone from bad to worse with the latest round of deep convection which has worsened the flooding situation across these areas! Click here for more of the latest on high-impact weather content across the United States!
Following torrential and historic Houston area rainfall on Mon., Apr. 18, 2016, Houstonians will need to brace for more rain and flooding. Another thunderstorm outflow boundary (the leading edge of rain-cooled air from a cluster of thunderstorms) is enroute to Houston this morning…To read the full story, click here. 
DISCUSSION: As a very slow-moving low-pressure system continues to slowly move eastward with time over the past 48 to 72 hours, yet another round of strong to severe storms has erupted across parts of the South-Central United States. With the current atmospheric instability in place as well as the presence of decent vertical wind shear is near severe thresholds in parts of Northern Texas and Southern Oklahoma, the next few hours are the most prevalent with respect to the threat for severe storms as some have already fired and are moving through the outlined region below at this time!
DISCUSSION: As a low-pressure system currently positioned over the Rocky Mountains as it begins to slowly push off to the east with time. As it slowly heads eastward with over the next couple of days, a plethora of tropical moisture will be drawn into the South-Central United States courtesy of the "Maya Express" (i.e., the conveyor belt of tropical moisture whose origins lies in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean) which will increase the potential for heavy rainfall production. The greatest threat for continued heavy rainfall (in addition to the heavy rainfall already in progress at this time) is illustrated in the outlined region below as discussed by the NWS Weather Prediction Center. Click here for more information on this and other high-impact weather across the contiguous United States, Canada, and Mexico!  2015-2016 SEASONAL SNOWFALL COMPARISON AND FULL DISCUSSION (credit: NWS Eastern Region Headquarters)4/17/2016
DISCUSSION: As the winter season of 2015-2016 comes to a close, there is no question that it was a cold and snowy winter for many different places across the Central and Eastern United States. All the way from several impressive lake-effect snowfall events to the January 21-24 blizzard which enveloped the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast corridors in well over 2 feet of snow in many places, it was certainly a winter season to be remembered by many across the country! Now, as we move towards the heart of Spring and the onset of Summer before long, we are chiefly concerned with the forecasted ENSO transition to La Niña and updates to this climatic transition will be fully available here!
DISCUSSION: The weather across the United States continues to be impacted by a strengthening omega block over the Central and Eastern U.S. As seen in the short visible satellite imagery loop below, you can identify the center of the blocking high by the large cloud-free region over the aforementioned parts of the Central and Eastern United States. Click the loop below to see the full-effect of this blocking high on the synoptic weather pattern across the Central and Eastern United States. Also, note the low-pressure systems positioned respectively to the west and east of the blocking high-pressure system!
DISCUSSION: As a pleasant Friday afternoon continues across much of the Eastern United States, there is a bit of unique activity up in part of Northern New England! As of this afternoon, as indicated in the animated radar imagery below, there has been a wildfire detected over in Old Orchard Beach in Eastern Maine. Note how you can identify the smoke plume emanating from this wildfire below as the winds carry the smoke to the south of the point-source!
DISCUSSION: As this week continues to roll on, there is an expectation for the current low positioned over the Southwestern United States and the larger high-pressure system parked across the Central and Eastern United States to somewhat stall out! In the process, this will induce the formation of blocking regimes known as omega and rex blocks. The term "omega block" was coined by its appearance to look like the greek letter omega with a high-pressure system blocked by a low to the east and the west. The term "rex block" is identified a strong blocking high pressure over a weaker low as identified in the graphic below! Very neat synoptic-pattern evolving in the upper-atmosphere without question!
A RAINY WEEK ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS STATES! (credit: NWS Weather Prediction Center)4/13/2016
DISCUSSION: As the week continues, there is very high confidence in the potential for particularly heavy rainfall to persist across the Central and South-Central United States over the next 4 to 7 days. This persistent rainfall (which will bring about the potential for flooding and even flash flooding in some spots) is courtesy of a strengthening low-pressure system which will be stalling over the Central Plains. As a result of this low-pressure system parking itself over the Central United States, a ton of moisture will be extracted from the Gulf of Mexico! There will certainly be several interesting days ahead right now.
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