4/23/07 NOW: CO/KS/OK/TX

[Mark Farnik]

The SPC has just issued dual MD's; one for all of eastern CO, and another for southwestern KS and the OK/TX Panhandles. Tornado watches are forthcoming for both areas within the next hour to two hours. The first cells are beginning to initiate in cu fields along the Front Range just to the south and east of Denver as well as along the Texas Caprock.
EDIT: Tornado Watch #165 now in effect for all of eastern CO until 9 p.m. MDT.

 

[Billy Griffin]

TOR Watch for most all of eastern Colorado (front range).

 

[cdcollura]

Good day,

DCVZ may have a play on this too ... Watch the Palmer Divide ;-)

 

[Kory Hartman]

Shamrock, TX

Cell going up fast near Shamrock. Looks good on Satellite, too.

 

[Chris Vagasky]

I'm not out there, so I can't say, but looking at my radar, I see some mid-level echoes that might just be a light shower. 46 dBZ max. Nothing too special yet.

I'd look west of Amarillo for intial storm development.

Edit: Tor Watch 166 issued for West Kansas, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma Panhandle, and Western Oklahoma until 10pm.

 

[Jason Branz]

A dryline bulge is evident over the eastern TX panhandle in the latest surface obs; the northern side of the bulge looks to be right along US 287 from Clarendon southeastward toward Childress. Winds are nicely backed along the 287 corridor. Clarendon-Shamrock-Conway triangle is where I'd like to be right now.

 

[Dan Robinson]

The RUC suggests precip firing inv of AMA, which is somewhat believable, as the dryline appears to still be west of Amarillo per radar and sfc obs. However, the RUC is making me wary, as the mesoanalysis graphics seem to be about 70 miles too far east than where things are on actual obs. This makes me question the big bullseye showing up on the OK/TX border at 1Z, which may be way too far east. We're hanging tight in Canadian right now, the show should be starting in a couple of hours.

 

[Mark Farnik]

First supercell of the day in the northern target is rapidly developing just north of DIA in extreme southern Weld County near the town of Hudson. A second cell is also rapidly developing about twenty miles south of the first cell due west of Byers.

 

[David Wolfson]

Looks like action (vis satellite and radar) is developing north of Canadian to Slapout. Near northerly storm motion will tend more easterly with development. So I'm virtually on the road from LBL down US83 to take US64 east toward Rosston -- be there by about 22:00 GMT.

 

[Chad Ringley]

And right on cue Jason, echoes now coming in from AMA at all tilts along and N of 287 near Clarendon.

 

[Patrick Martin]

First supercell of the day in the northern target is rapidly developing just north of DIA in extreme southern Weld County near the town of Hudson. A second cell is also rapidly developing about twenty miles south of the first cell due west of Byers.

Seeing some healthy CU to the N and E of Denver from my office building. Leaving work in next 20 minutes. Will be heading home for data, camera, and a gas up. Will be then heading up I-76 to get on the east side of DIA and play the area between Wiggins and Watkins.

 

[Doug Mitchell]

Storm going up just N of Clarendon. I'm going to give it two scans before rolling out of Shamrock, happy hunting all.

 

[Brett Adair]

Cell looks to be intensifying rapidly just NW of Howardwick and south of I-40 in Donley County. Things look to go potentially tornadic quickly in this instability axis with increasing shear ahead of the dryline bulge. I expect other cells to fully initiate within the hour in this axis.

 

[Jason Branz]

Those echoes are holding together so far. There's a narrow band of 64-65F dewpoints to the northeast of them, from about Canadian sse along the OK border. Should be interesting to see how they do.

 

[Mike McDonald]

I'm near Castle Rock, south of Denver, north of the Palmer Divide. The local mesonet shows temps in the mid 50's and dews in the low to mid 40s. Wind is light but generally from the north. Along the Divide, however, dewpoints are in the 20s with south winds gusting over 20 mph. Highway 86 east from Castle Rock is the rough dividing line.

Both temps and dews increase going north through Denver with storms developing on the north side as Mark mentioned. Temps are in the upper 50s and low 60s, dews in the mid 40s and winds light from the north in that area.

NWS Boulder just issued a winter storm warning for the Palmer Divide and foothills west of the Denver area. It bumps up against the tornado watch.

Mike