06/06/04 NOW: TX, OK, Northern Plains

[Larry J. Kosch]

A NOW thread has been started for two reasons:
1. Storms have fired up and propagating in Northern TX and were moving into OK. NWS is still considering a WW for that area.
2. NWS has posted a SWW for ND:

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 345 PM UNTIL 1000 PM CDT.

HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

Post your storm discussions here. 8) LJK.

 

[Lance Maxwell]

Um, a tornado warning near Denton, TX???? I can't find anything on the radar to warrant that. I have no idea why the FW WFO would issue that warning.

 

[Larry J. Kosch]

No Watch for TX Either!

That's true, Lance. Also I've been watching that system building north of Dallas and Fort Worth all evening. And yet no severe weather watch box has been posted for TX yet.

So far this evening, there has been nine, count 'em, nine severe thunderstorm warnings and six flash flood warnings for the TX area alone. And the NWS has dropped their MS discussion about whether or not to post a SWW for the area.

At the same time, in the SWW box posted for ND, there has been numerous TORN warnings this evening. And another SWW box has been placed in the same ND area.

I'm raising the question - "What is going on here, NWS??" Seems like the NWS got their priorities screwed up or maybe their primary staff is out on a picnic today. A SWW box in Texas would have at least put people, law enforcement and weather personnel on alert for severe weather. And maybe save some lives in the process.

8) LJK.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Re: No Watch for TX Either!

8) LJK.

Larry,
Watches are issued for an organized, persistent severe weather threat. The thunderstorms in n TX have, on the whole, been subsevere, and those that have been severe were very marginally severe. There have been 4 severe reports in FWD's local storm reports (1.75", .88", and 2 60mph gusts)... Looking at radar, it confirms the notion that this event is largely subsevere thunderstorm activity... Additionally, flash flood warnings have no effect on severe weather watches. Since the storms are likely strongly diurnally-driven, and thus will likely decrease in intensity with time.. Therefor, no, I don't think any watch is/was warranted. This probably could have been one of those cases when a watch could have been issued, but that's hindsight and marginal nonetheless.

 

[mikegeukes]

Also in MCD it mention not issuing a WW for the following reasons:

WARM MID LEVELS AND MULTICELLULAR NATURE OF CONVECTION GIVEN THE
WEAK SHEAR OVER NRN TX/SRN OK AND BETWEEN MAF AND SJT WOULD LIMIT A
PROLONGED/WELL ORGANIZED SEVERE THREAT AND THUS A WW IS NOT
ANTICIPATED.

http://kamala.cod.edu/spc/0406062240.acus11.html

Mike

 

[mikegeukes]

At least 8 tornadoes and baseball size hail ijn North Dakota tonight.

Mike

 

[Jared Mysko]

I just got home after a pretty fun day but it seems that I should have gone south from Regina when I went north to "check out the clouds". I did happen upon a severe thunderstorm warned area but it produced only small hail. It was really spectacular to look at though

I'll post a bunch of pictures on my site tommorrow (unless I find myself chasing again)...

Damn, tornadoes on the ND/Sask border again, and I chickened out! Actually I just got impatient waiting in Regina. Ya, thats it... :?