 Seven tornadoes have been confirmed in Virginia and Washington DC from the severe storms on April 6, 2017. After extensive investigation and interviews with the residents, the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia has confirmed that the seven tornadoes were rated as an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Five tornadoes touched down in Virginia including three in Fauquier County, one in Orange County, and another in Fairfax County. Trees were downed as well as metal roofing and siding being removed were among the damages. No deaths or injuries were reported from these tornadoes. The tornadoes were hidden within the bigger storm system. The main threat with the bigger storm was straight-line winds which made the investigation difficult. When trees are downed in one direction, it signifies straight-line winds whereas if the trees appear twisted towards or away from each other, it’s evident that there was circulation involved. To read more about the exact locations and damaged involved, click on the link! For more on severe weather, click here! ⓒ Meteorologist Brandie Cantrell
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 Discussion: In contrast to the warm/sunny weekend, southeast Kansas and western Missouri may possibly see severe weather tonight. Relatively strong low-level winds today have pushed dewpoints into the low 60°’s Fahrenheit from Oklahoma to southeastern Kansas. With dewpoints gradually rising at the surface and cooling aloft in the atmosphere, this will help bolster the strength of thunderstorm updrafts as well as hail potential. A continued influx of low-level moisture will continue to destabilize the atmospheric environment across parts of eastern Oklahoma and southeast Kansas as storms begin to form in these areas. Due to these factors, storms which form may be capable of producing large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes across northeast Oklahoma, southeast Kansas, and western Missouri. People living in these areas are encouraged to stay alert for any updates on possible watches or warnings, especially those who may be driving this evening.
To learn more about other high-impact weather events occurring across North America, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Noah Hardy  On April 6, 2017, severe storms swept through northern Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Many reports of wind damage caused multiple roads to close for clearing. Widespread power outages caused schools to close early and halting bus routes. School officials sent out a message asking parents to pick up their children if they were able due to a possible delay from road closures. Trained weather spotters reported a funnel cloud in Gainesville, Virginia. A tree had fallen across a busy road never hitting the ground forcing vehicles to go underneath the tree in Fairfax, Virginia. Trees had fallen on power lines causing major power outages. Nickel-sized hail was reported in Stafford County.
These severe storms that ravaged the Mid-Atlantic came in three significant storms. The first storm was mainly rain which occurred around 8:00 AM Thursday morning. The second storm happened around 1:00 PM Thursday afternoon which is the storm that carried the strong winds and possible tornadoes. The third storm happened just after 3:00 PM which carried nickel-sized hail and another round of damaging winds. The National Weather Service in Baltimore/ Washington will survey the damage in the coming days to determine if there were tornadoes or just straight-line winds. These storms hit during the after-lunch hour and caught many people on the road. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported. For more severe weather stories, click here! ⓒ 2017 Meteorologist Brandie Cantrell  Today, April 5, 2017, three radars located in southern Georgia and southeastern Alabama are inoperable due to a lightning strike and regular maintenance. Unfortunately, with the severe weather outbreak already in place, forecasters response times will be delayed. Meteorologists are having to rely on their ground level support from law enforcement and trained weather spotters to report severe weather.
Meteorologists can handle one radar being down, however when three in the same region are down, they have to rely on other radars from a further distance. Other radars around the region can detect storms, but only from a certain radius. The signal leaves the radar at an incline, making further storms harder to see closer to the surface. When a storm is too far from a functioning radar, meteorologists cannot see surface features such as rotation and debris signatures. Forecasters will continue to convey warnings, but the warnings will not be radar indicated. Radar indication means the radar has picked up rotation and either a tornado is in progress or is imminent. Radars being inoperable makes sending out warnings challenging because forecasters cannot see the storm throughout its cycle. During a severe weather outbreak, radars are essential and when they are not available, people need to stay alert so they know when to take cover. Given that there’s the potential for these radars to be down during the duration of this event, it’s imperative that people remain cognizant and aware of their immediate weather conditions to take cover when necessary. Stay tuned for top severe weather stories here! ⓒ 2017 Meteorologist Brandie Cantrell  
DISCUSSION: As is noted in the above in-depth analysis of the April 5-6 severe weather event (courtesy of retired NOAA/NESDIS satellite analyst Sheldon Kusselson), depicts the deep complexity associated the latest large-scale severe weather event of the Spring 2017 severe weather season. Going from the primary moisture source emanating from the Gulf of Mexico the large warm-front sector associated with this low pressure system, this is a truly multi-faceted severe weather event with several different preceding components. To learn more about the different aspects to this early April severe weather event, feel free to download the file above to see the full discussion provided by Meteorologist Sheldon Kusselson!
To learn more about other high-impact severe weather stories from around the world, be sure to click here! ©2017 Meteorologist Sheldon Kusselson
The Storm Prediction Center (or SPC) has put together a map of the severe risk today into tonight for the Mid-Atlantic states. For Wednesday, April 5, 2017 the SPC has forecasted a slight chance for severe weather from southern Virginia into northern North Carolina. An enhanced risk of severe weather has been forecasted for southern North Carolina and northern South Carolina. A high risk has been forecasted for southwestern South Carolina and northeastern Georgia. The main threats for this event are wind damage, large hail and long-lived tornadoes. The severe threat will transition into tonight/ early Thursday morning for eastern Virginia and North Carolina. The threats remain the same with damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes.
Eastern North Carolina and Virginia had recently experienced severe weather with three tornadoes touching down in the Virginia Beach area. On March 31, 2017 an EF-2 tornado touched down and left damage in its path. If you are in the path of these storms, please stay weather alert and know your action plan. The full discussion from the Storm Prediction Center regarding the Mid-Atlantic’s risk for severe weather is as follows: ...SUMMARY... Organized severe storm development is possible across parts of the Mid Atlantic Coast region Thursday, mainly prior to the 2-4 pm EDT time frame. This includes a risk for supercells with potential for tornadoes, and perhaps a narrow evolving squall line accompanied by potential for damaging surface gusts. ...Synopsis... An amplification within the westerlies is forecast to continue translating across the central into eastern U.S. during this period, with large-scale ridging gradually shifting east of the U.S. Rockies and Canadian Prairies, and downstream troughing progressing across the Appalachians into the Atlantic Seaboard. The center of a broad and deep lower/mid tropospheric cyclone embedded within the troughing is still expected to migrate northeastward, near or just east of the lower Great Lakes region, with a trailing cold front surging eastward and southward, off much of the Atlantic coast, including much of the Florida peninsula, and through much of the Gulf of Mexico. Stable conditions associated with cooling and/or drying in the wake of the front will result in low to negligible convective potential across much of the nation. However, prior to the frontal passage, models continue to indicate a window of opportunity for organized severe storm development across parts of the Mid Atlantic Coast region. Low probabilities for thunderstorm activity may also accompany a couple of short wave perturbations emanating from a strong mid-latitude Pacific jet, which may continue to nose inland across northern California toward the northern intermountain region. ...Mid Atlantic Coast region... Models continue to indicate that the exit region of a 90-110+ kt cyclonic 500 mb jet streak will nose northeast of the southern Appalachians through Mid Atlantic coastal areas early Thursday. And guidance remains suggestive that associated strong forcing for ascent will provide support for renewed significant surface cyclogenesis to the east of the central Appalachians. Rapid deepening of the surface low may be underway by 12Z Thursday near the Blue Ridge, and strengthening southerly low-level flow within its warm sector (including up to 50-70+ kt at 850 mb) is expected to result in the northward advection of moisture characterized by lower/mid 60s surface dew points within a plume across eastern Virginia into the vicinity of the low center. Guidance indicates that rapid deepening of the low will continue into midday and beyond, with the center possibly tracking across northern Virginia and central Maryland before frontal occlusion takes place. Given this environment, including thermodynamic profiles initially characterized by modestly steep mid-level lapse rates that may support CAPE of 500-1000 J/kg, there still appears considerable potential for organized severe storm development. This may include discrete supercells capable of producing large hail and tornadoes, and perhaps an evolving convective line accompanied by the risk for damaging surface gusts, with precipitation loading enhancing the downward transfer of higher momentum to the surface. Due to the uncertain influence of the cooler/stable marine layer near the Chesapeake, greatest confidence in severe weather potential still appears focused along/east of the Interstate 95 corridor of southeastern Virginia into northeastern North Carolina during the late morning through midday hours. However, given the current forecast of the track and rate of deepening of the surface low, this threat could develop northward into the Washington D.C and Baltimore metro areas, and across the Delmarva peninsula/adjacent southern New Jersey, before the front advances offshore by late afternoon. For more about severe weather, be sure to click here! ⓒ 2017 Meteorologist Brandie Cantrell  On the night of June 29, 2012, people of the Mid-Atlantic experienced a very strong and intense storm system called a derecho. The storm caught many people off-guard because it passed through the area very quickly. The derecho started as a small cluster of thunderstorms in Iowa and created a path of destruction all the way to the East Coast during the following twelve to fourteen hours.
A derecho is a continuous, massive storm with strong, damaging winds that stretches across many states. To be classified as a derecho , a storm must travel a minimum of 240 miles, and have sustained winds of at least 58 miles per hour. The derecho that hit the Mid-Atlantic states on the night of June 29, 2012 affected 8 states. The strongest wind speed of 91 mph was recorded at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Thousands of people were left without power, and 20 people lost their lives. Local grocery stores lost refrigerated items because of the inability to keep the items at a safe temperature during the extended power outages. Many people in the Mid-Atlantic hadn’t heard the term derecho before this event occurred, even though the last significant derecho was June 4, 2008. This wasn’t an ordinary storm because storms like these do not hit this area very often; in fact, a derecho is recorded about once every two to four years. This means, the Mid-Atlantic region is overdue for its next derecho. To learn more about severe weather events occurring around the world, be sure to click here! ⓒ2017 Meteorologist Brandie Cantrell |
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