Deflector shields? LOL

[David Draun]

All jokes aside, what is the real reason for these "weather holes" like the Norman Bubble, and are there any others that are well noticeable?

I know of one in Atlanta that sets up in the summer which has been called a "Thunderdome," but I believe that has been blamed on a heat island effect.

I would say there is another "deflector" that runs from Northern Cook county, IL west to Northern Kane county then north to the state line during severe weather. The main event seems to always happen north or south of this area. I'll make one exception though. The last survivng big tornadic supercell of the May 10, 2003 tornado outbreak gave us all a scare when it tracked right through this area at 11:30pm. My mom had TWC on as the sirens were sounding, and Greg Forbes was speaking quite highly of this storm.

Oh yeah, and the night before that, a renegade storm came off the warm front. it was also a supercell and it dropped golfball sized hail in Schaumburg.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Deflectors break sooner or later. It seemed like there was a deflector around my house just northeast of Stoughton for five years after moving there, then came 8/18/05.

 

[rdale]

The bubble has been disproven countless numbers of times... When you look at weather as a whole, instead of where you live, you'll see that every has an equal chance in your area.

 

[Dan Robinson]

That's why we chase 99% of the time it won't come to you, so you just have to go to *it*. Chasing=Deflectors defeated! You can increase the yearly number of storms you observe/photograph fourfold just by a willingness to drive less than an hour a few times a month.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

The bubble has been disproven countless numbers of times... When you look at weather as a whole, instead of where you live, you'll see that every has an equal chance in your area.

Yes... Although for a statistics class, a classmate and I did do a linear regression using severe storm reports over Oklahoma, and we did find a local minimum in severe reports very near Norman. Granted, the R^2 value was like 0.2, but that's better than random! LOL... I do agree that for severe convection, the scale involved versus the number of events each year dictates that any particular town's risk is rather small. At least we had a supercell over Norman this year... As far as snow is concerned, it really does appear as though the freezing line often makes it to I44, or just southeast of I44, then stops. I can think of several events in the past few years where Norman was literally 5-10 miles from the freezing line (in the "warm-sector"). Maybe someone can drudge up a snowfall map from the past few years...

 

[Shane Adams]

The bubble has been disproven countless numbers of times... When you look at weather as a whole, instead of where you live, you'll see that every has an equal chance in your area.

You don't live in Norman

 

[Karen Politte]

The bubble has been disproven countless numbers of times... When you look at weather as a whole, instead of where you live, you'll see that every has an equal chance in your area.

You don't live in Norman

Amen.

Only once you're officially a part of N.A.D.S. do you finally understand the nightmare we face daily......

KR

 

[Robert Dewey]

Yeah, I agree with Jeff and Rob... It's just something fun to poke at for those who live in Norman. Any city could do the same thing - they just don't have as high of a concentration of mets and weather weenies as Norman.

 

[Anthony Silver]

Here in the KC area, many people tend to believe in the "Tonganoxie Split". A lot of times severe weather will develop out in Central Kansas and will "split" off to the Northeast or Southeast once it reaches Leavenworth County. Most of these people think that just because the city is situated between two rivers, the area will be safe from tornado strikes.

Obviously a myth, take May 4, 2003 for example. An F-4 tornado plowed through some of the heavily populated areas. Goes to show you that no one is 100% safe from severe weather.

 

[rdale]

"You don't live in Norman"

Correct - but let me know if you've ever heard this:

"There will be a continuous line of severe storms, and they break apart - going around our area - while reforming after passing."

I have honestly heard that one time or another in EVERY Skywarn net I have ever checked in.

 

[Karen Politte]

"You don't live in Norman"

Correct - but let me know if you've ever heard this:

"There will be a continuous line of severe storms, and they break apart - going around our area - while reforming after passing."

I have honestly heard that one time or another in EVERY Skywarn net I have ever checked in.

Yes but in OUN - that's the truth - not just superstition! :wink:

KR

 

[rdale]

Of course ;>

In Toledo it was because of Lake Erie (although the lake was to our east, so would have absolutely no influence whatsoever on 99% of all severe weather days with south, west, or northerly flow). Lansing it's the rivers joining. Gaylord it is the terrain dropoff to the west. Lafayette was thanks to being a met school. Any other good ones?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Charleston, WV misses out on a lot of thunderstorm events. Storms, regardless of initial intensity, start to break up and vanish before crossing the Ohio River. After 12 years of observing this happen, it is remarkably consistent. Of course, there are rare exceptions. I believe it is an actual phenomenon rather than my imagination.

My theories are:

1.) Appalachian mountain chain from NC to PA cutting off southerly flow at the surface, which impedes inflow and lessens low-level convergence. Many times our T/Tds are the same as locations west getting the strong/severe action.

2.) Elevation change reducing the thickness of boundary layer and resultant moisture depth. However, the elevation change between western Ohio and western WV is only on the order of 400-700 feet or less, very gradual. Typical ridges in Charleston top out at 700-900 feet. The sharpest rise in elevation is west of Charleston, where ridges quickly hit 2,000 feet 10-15 miles away, and peak out above 4,000 feet at the VA/WV state line. Upslope flow when winds turn northwesterly will give us snow showers from lake moisture in the winter, but typically will not initiate storms in the summer

3.) Timing of systems. Most squalls initiate in western Ohio and Indiana (especially during late summer) and cross the WV/OH line after dark, during the least favorable time in the diurnal cycle.

Despite all this, we have our good days from time to time. Otherwise I just have to drive west for an hour or more to see anything during most events.

 

[Pat Lawrence]

Yeah, I agree with Jeff and Rob... It's just something fun to poke at for those who live in Norman. Any city could do the same thing - they just don't have as high of a concentration of mets and weather weenies as Norman.

Didn't Waco, TX once have a "bubble" over it?

 

[Mike Gauldin]

Tulsa has a linear deflector along highway 75. I've seen a 3 state squall line break at hwy75 west of tulsa then disappear