4/06/06 NOW: KS/NE/IA/MO/OK/AR/TX

[Nic Wilson]

Stupid local news. TVS/MESO now lined up perfectly and rotation has really improved on the storm. Don't they have a chopper on it anymore? That thing has to be setting up for another attempt at tornadoing now in Osage Co OK.
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Alex - Two main reasons why the helicopter is no longer on that thunderstorm:

1.) KFOR (the station with the helicopter) is an Oklahoma City television station. The Osage County supercell of interest is within the Tulsa DMA (Designated market area), so the coverage they were providing wasn't even being offered to viewers being affected by the supercell.

2.) Since KFOR is based in OKC, the microwave link they use for the live television feed was out of range and no longer working properly to provide a clear image of the supercell.

 

[Sam Dienst]

cell just southeast of abilene, ks is showing 3"+ hail and hook may be forming!

 

[Jason McIntosh]

Latest NWS update from Clay Center storm indicated damage occuring on the west side of Clay Center. Tornado warning continues.
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4:48pm
Tornado on ground 11 miles NW of Clay Center, KS.

Storm and tornado are now moving North and slightly East at 45 mph.

Washington Co. has just been warned.

 

[Sam Dienst]

Tornado warned storm for the areas just south of junctoin city , ks. Nice hook showing up on radar. not sure which county it.



GEARY COUNTY

 

[Andrea Griffa]

4:48pm
Tornado on ground 11 miles NW of Clay Center, KS.

Storm and tornado are now moving North and slightly East at 45 mph.

Washington Co. has just been warned.
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Now there's an impressive BWER in Washington County. Really amazing. Radial velocity keeps on remain strong.

 

[Jason McIntosh]

Geary, Morrison, Dickenson Co. under tornado warning!

Storm is moving at 65 mph!

Rotation detected by dopplar, but is rapidly intensifying. Would expect real thing soon with this storm.
Will report back.

Storm in Washington Co. still has reports of damage coming from local town of Morganville, KS.

Geary, Morrison, Dickenson Co. under tornado warning!

Storm is moving at 65 mph!

Rotation detected by dopplar, but is rapidly intensifying. Would expect real thing soon with this storm.
Will report back.

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4:58 pm

Wall cloud and quarter sized hail reported south of Junction City, KS

Now there's an impressive BWER in Washington County. Really amazing. Radial velocity keeps on remain strong.
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Tornado moving through Palmer, KS at 5:02 pm

Washington Co. storm

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Geary, Morrison, Dickenson Co. under tornado warning!

Storm is moving at 65 mph!

Rotation detected by dopplar, but is rapidly intensifying. Would expect real thing soon with this storm.
Will report back.

Storm in Washington Co. still has reports of damage coming from local town of Morganville, KS.
4:58 pm

Wall cloud and quarter sized hail reported south of Junction City, KS
Tornado moving through Palmer, KS at 5:02 pm

Washington Co. storm
[/b]

that's incredible: a new meso is just remaking up and the supercell is hooking up on Blu Rapids. Take shelter!!

 

[Bob Schafer]

Wow, huge G2G in Morris county attm (NW of Emporia)

 

[nickgrillo]

Yeah, I'm not too sure about the HIGH risk today... There is indeed a few very nice supercells (one of them which produced six reported tornadoes earlier in northcentral KS) but I'm not too sure why a HIGH risk was issued, given the relatively weak low-level shear available over much of eastern KS (e.g. 0-1km SRH 50-100m2/s2 per SPC mesoanalysis) although boundary layer flow has backed quite a bit in the past few hours in response to the lowering surface pressure falls (isallobaric response) -- which could increase SR inflow/helicity and tornado potential a bit through the evening. A quite isolated and established supercell is currently just northeast of Junction City, KS -- which has been exhibiting decent rotational velocity in the lowest 0.5 degree tilt SRV scans, although it has weakened some within the past half hour or so. Nonetheless, the strong diabatic heating earlier has contributed to very strong instability (e.g. 1500-2000j/kg MLCAPE across the warm sector) and the combination of strong instability/very large 0-6km shear will result in the potential for strong supercells through the evening. Yet, the relatively limited 0-1km SRH will limit tornado potential, IMO...

I decided to sit today out -- given the fast storm motions (although it earlier looked like eastern NE and western IA would have been huge and slower storm motions) and the fact I just spent a few hundred bucks last week chasing setups which looked equally as impressive LOL... I am leaving for the plains again anyways (for at least a month) quite possibley next week, if the progressive flow continues.

 

[HAltschule]

Cell mergers are occurring in the Tulsa, OK. These supercells will have to be watched. While the parameters that were in place are lessening, I still like extreme Southeastern KS and Northeastern OK for the next couple of hours. This is where the best instability is and where the shear will be plentiful. If these storm can hold together into the Kansa City area and points East and South, there will be an increased tornado threat due to stronger directional shear. BUT, I am not impressed will the modest low and mid level lapse rates. They are somehwat weaker than what is ideal for this situation. This is probably contributing to the lesser activity than was expected. Just my $0.02.

 

[Jason McIntosh]

that's incredible: a new meso is just remaking up and the supercell is hooking up on Blu Rapids. Take shelter!!
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Storm west of Marysville, KS is hitting 65-70 dbz from Omaha, NE doppler.
Has produced at least 3 tornadoes and doesn't look to be done for a while yet.
Is heading NNE into S Nebraska towards the Beatrice area.

Very impressive cell, has reformed mesos multiple times now.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Storm west of Marysville, KS is hitting 65-70 dbz from Omaha, NE doppler.
Has produced at least 3 tornadoes and doesn't look to be done for a while yet.
Is heading NNE into S Nebraska towards the Beatrice area.

Very impressive cell, has reformed mesos multiple times now.
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New impressive cell is hooking up on Manhattan.

 

[Jason McIntosh]

Any chaser should have a great view from east looking WNW.

I would go a little west from Marysville, KS and wait at the county line.
Storm should safely pass to your west.
Moving more NNE at this time.
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If someone took my call out earlier they are probably getting nice footage right now. B)

 

[Bill Tabor]

Man, am I the only one that didn't get to see the chopper footage? I hear it was cool.

Any chance Tulsa news stations are covering now.

 

[Justin Turcotte]

Storm west of Marysville, KS is hitting 65-70 dbz from Omaha, NE doppler.
Has produced at least 3 tornadoes and doesn't look to be done for a while yet.
Is heading NNE into S Nebraska towards the Beatrice area.

Very impressive cell, has reformed mesos multiple times now.
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Nowcasting for Sam Schrant who is on this cell at the NE/KS border. He was reporting a tor and said the storm structure was incredible. Another robust cell just south of that one.