DISCUSSION: In light of strong to severe storms erupting across parts of the Central to South-Central Plains, many people likely wonder how tornadoes form and what environments are most conducive for the development and formation of tornadic thunderstorms!  Note how complex the atmosphere can become prior to and during severe weather events which produce tornadoes!  To learn more about this and other high-impact weather across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As an area of disturbed weather near the Western to Central Bahamas continued to organized over the past 48 to 72 hours, the threat for tropical development continued to loom.  More recently, as of earlier this afternoon, Tropical Depression Two has formed near the Western Bahamas.  As discussed in the graphic below courtesy of the National Hurricane Center, further intensification may be possible over the next 24 to 48 hours as this tropical low remains in an area which will be relatively favorable for further intensification.  However, at this time, it appears that the most likely scenario will involve this tropical low strengthening to a weak tropical storm before bringing a lot of rain and possible widespread to parts of the coastal Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.  To learn more about other high-impact weather content from across the United States, click here!

DISCUSSION: Here is another fantastic view of the violent tornado which ripped through parts of Central and Eastern Kansas earlier this evening!  Note how you can distinctly see the inflow condensation wrapping around the circulation of the tornadic circulation at the center of the image!  The truly incredible part about this tornado is the fact that it stayed on the ground for a little over an hour!  For more on this and other high-impact weather content from across the United States, click here!

DISCUSSION: As strong to severe storms erupted across parts of the Central United States this afternoon and this evening, some of the storms produced locally strong winds and hail.  To give everyone a neat perspective into the evolution of the severe weather events today, at some point there were between 40 and 53 severe weather- related warnings across the span of the United States.  As this evening unfolds, a squall line with bow echo-like features is sweeping across parts of Central and Eastern Kansas.  Attached in the graphic below (courtesy of the National Weather Service located in Goodland, Kansas) is a breakdown of just some wind reports that have come in since 6:00 PM this evening Mountain Daylight Time.  Note how some of the winds are at or above hurricane-force indicating the potential for locally higher amounts of damage. To learn more about this and other high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As shown in the graphic below (courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Melbourne, Florida), an area of unsettled weather and scattered/intense thunderstorm activity may slowly develop into a region more favorable for tropical cyclone development in the coming days!  As we head towards this weekend and early next week, the National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov) will continue to monitor this area of disturbed weather positioned just to the northeast of the Bahamian Islands!  As a result, if you live along the East Coast, you will definitely want to stay tuned for updates from us right here at the Global Weather and Climate Center.  For more on this developing story and other high-impact weather across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As the beginning of the 2016 Hurricane Season across the Tropical Atlantic basin as 1 June bears down us, there are many important and big preparations being made by the National Hurricane Center located in Miami, Florida!  One of the many new and improved products is discussed in the post below which concerns the newest updates made to an upgraded storm surge analysis product which will be used in real-time to better assess the localized storm surge threat during landfalling tropical cyclones anywhere along the U.S. coastlines.  For more on this and other high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As strong thunderstorm erupted earlier this evening across Southwestern Texas and Northern Mexico, the anvils (i.e., the clouds blowing downwind at the top of these thunderstorms) were being blown so hard by the winds aloft that they were being blown off to the southeast well over 250 miles.  This is impressive considering that most storms do not have such vigorous updrafts which persist for so long that the associated anvils do not blow so far away from the storm while at maximum intensity.  To learn more about neat high-impact weather content, be sure to click here!

​NOAA and the U. S. Air Force are bringing their hurricane hunter aircraft to Naples, FL, today, Fri., May 20, 2016, as part of a week-long Gulf Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour (also known as HAT). The HAT coincides with National Hurricane Awareness Week. The Atlantic Ocean basin hurricane season starts on June 1, 2016…To read the full story, click here.

DISCUSSION: As a weak low to mid-level disturbance moved through the Gulf Coast region this evening, very intense convection developed on the side of the mesoscale convective vortex causing the need for severe thunderstorm warnings and even a tornado warning earlier this evening.  As this strong convection moves further east with time, the severe threat will be moving eastward!  For more on other high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As a weak low-pressure system (currently in the developing stages over Southern to Central Texas) begins to strengthen and slowly move eastward towards the Gulf Coast region and ultimately towards the Southeastern U.S. and the Mid-Atlantic region, much rainfall will be accompanying this system.  As noted in the graphic below courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Columbia, South Carolina there is a threat for rainfall totals in excess of 2.00 inches in some spots.  This has the potential to cause localized flooding in some spots so be mindful if you encounter flooded roads.  As noted in a post yesterday regarding the heavy rainfall in East-Central Florida, if you live across Eastern Texas, Southern/Central Louisiana, Georgia, and/or South Carolina and encounter flooded roadways over the next few days, always make sure you "Turn Around and Don't Drown!"  For other high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As persistent storm continue to roll through Central and East-Central Florida, there has been a lot of flash flooding occurring and being reported such as this brief footage recorded down in Vero Beach, Florida.  Being as though strong storms are still rolling through much of Central and Southern Florida at this time, the threat for more and even worsened flooding and flash flooding will be continuing for the next few hours!  All of these thunderstorms moving through which have produced this intense rainfall have been a result of a weak low-pressure system moving eastward off the Gulf of Mexico earlier this afternoon and into this evening.  As the National Weather Service always stresses to the general public, if you see that a road is flooded out "Turn around, Don't Drown!"  To learn more about other high-impact weather content across the United States, click here!

DISCUSSION: As a relatively weak area of low-pressure slowly moves towards the western side of the Floridian Peninsula, daytime heating and very warm/moist air are combining to generate strong instability across much of the region highlighted within the red-colored circle below.  As of right now, a number of deep convective clusters have already formed along a long north-to-south axis across the state of Florida.  There also Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings already up in a few spots throughout the state.  Be advised that there could continue to be storms capable of producing strong winds, large hail, and a few isolated tornadoes. For other interesting high-impact weather content, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As we move into the heart of May and find the start of June just around the corner, the Southwestern United States and Mexico turn their attention to what has come to be recognized as the North American Monsoon.  This monsoon circulation forms as a result of a somewhat persistent high pressure system which builds into the Southwestern to South-Central United States and induces stronger moisture advection off of the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico.  This process helps to increase the potential for more consistently heavier rainfall across the Southwest U.S. between mid-late June and mid-late September and sometimes slightly outside this timeframe as well. For other interesting high-impact weather content, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As a strengthening low-pressure system continues to produce accumulating snowfall across some of the higher-terrain across the Central Rocky Mountains, travel conditions have continued to depreciate over the last 6 to 12 hours!  As this low-pressure system continues to slowly head southeastward with time, the magnitude of the impacts from the aforementioned low-pressure system will slowly decrease as this system loosens its grip on the Rocky Mountains!  However, prior to this happening, impressive Spring snowfall accumulations will be and are already being found across the Central Rocky Mountains as shown in the graphic below courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Boulder, Colorado! For more information on other high-impact weather across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As stronger storms fired up along a cold front slowly passing through the region as it was heading to the southeast of the Central Plains region.  In the wake of this cold front's passage, warm air was lifted along the passing front and was consequently destabilized.  This lifting and destabilization ultimately led to deep convection developing; some of which produced damaging hail such as that witnessed across parts of Oklahoma (e.g., parts of Lamont, Oklahoma such as this footage captured earlier Friday evening)!  Hail is formed as a result of strong updrafts keeping ice particles suspended within a convective storm for prolonged periods to time; often leading to these ice particles growing via layering of ice as it continually get lifted back up into the core of the convective updraft within a given thunderstorm.  Very impressive hail event to say the least!  For more neat high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As a weak area of low-pressure slowly moves across Southeastern Canada this evening, associated rainfall is now beginning to move through western parts of the county warning area.  As mentioned in the graphic below (courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Upton, New York), there is also a decent threat of gusty winds along with the heavier rainfall moving through the region.  Be sure to grab an umbrella as you head out for your Saturday night plans!  For more neat high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here! 

DISCUSSION: As the next low-pressure system bears down on the Pacific Northwest, cooler air wil be moving into the region, making for a cooler weekend than the past few days have been.  The attached graphic (courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Hanford, California) below shows the cyclonically-rotating (i.e., the counter-clockwise spinning) low-pressure system currently positioned off the Pacific Northwest coastline.  A very impressive low-pressure system to say the least!  For more neat weather content from across the United States, click here!

DISCUSSION: Wondering what all the fuss is about when meteorologists discuss what is referred to as a "marine layer"?  Check out the graphic below courtesy of the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles/Oxnard, California for an excellent discussion which goes through what a typical marine layer is and what the typical influences of a marine layer are on a given regions day-to-day weather conditions.  For more on other interesting high-impact weather content from across the United States, be sure to click here!

DISCUSSION: As deep convection quickly erupted yesterday evening near the dry-line (i.e., atmospheric boundary which separates drier, hotter desert-native air from warmer and moister tropically-native air) across Northern and Northeastern Texas! As you see in the brief video below, there was a clear signal for the presence of intense updrafts based on the deeper "bubbly" features which developed within the white convective cloud region.  You can also identify upper-atmospheric phenomena referred to as "gravity waves" induced as a result of intense convective updrafts beginning to propagate away (in the form of north-south oriented ripples within the convective cloud region)  from the most intense part of the storm as you can see between 0:10 and 0:03 seconds into the satellite imagery clip!  For more interesting high-impact weather content across the United States, be sure to click here!