Heat Burst

Tony Laubach

Tony Laubach

EF5
Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Messages
2,381
Location
Northern Colorado
OUTFLOW FROM LAST NIGHTS THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX HAS REALLY MESSED UP THE SURFACE PATTERN LAST NIGHT. THE STORMS MIXED DOWN A LOT OF DRY AIR WITH A HEAT BURST ACROSS PARTS OF MORGAN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES WITH TEMPERATURES REPORTEDLY IN THE 90S AND DEW POINTS IN THE 30S AROUND 1 AM.
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Pretty wicked, huh.. temps were in the 70s across the area before this happened. The only report I could dig up was Akron who went from 73 to 82 with gusty SW winds between midnight and 1am.

Anyone have an explanation of the science behind this phenomenon?
 
I wonder if that could be hot, dry 'capping' layer air being mixed to ground through downbursts? Or even stratosphere air making all the way down to the ground, though can't imagine how that could happen, I'm guessing it would be unlikely for a downdraft parcel to start from above 300mb or so.
 
These are one of the most bizarre phenomena

Explained:
http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/341/
http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~heinsel/heatburst.../heatburst.html

Notable events:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheatbst.htm
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/02060...603/020603.html
http://www.weathermatrix.net/archive/storm...00304/0004.html

There was also an event in the hill country of Texas around Lake Whitney many many years ago. I first read about it in a book entitled "Texas Weather" by Harold Taft and Ron Godbey. This was so severe that it wilted/scorched crops and several thermometers (the old red alcohol type) at a couple of gas stations were burst. This was reported and documented by the Fort Worth Star Telegram I think...I'll double check that. I've found a copy of this book and waiting for it to arrive. I'll post details of this story when it comes in hopefully in a couple of weeks.
 
Speaking of heat, check out both the GFS and ECMWF progs for late this week through this weekend into next week...

Scott
 
They may not be rare, but they are memorable to experience! We had one in Kearney a couple of years ago and the temperature spiked with a very strong and hot wind around 10 PM. Here's the weather service data for area cities with this event.

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE
 
If I remember correctly, I posted a question on heat bursts, around the time I joined the forum. I wonder if that post is archived back that far, it was over a year ago.

Edit: I searched and found nothing. W&C is archived back to the forum's birth in December 2003. I joined in March 2004. There is a gap between January and August 2004. I assume this is a result of that server switch-over last fall. Oh well.
 
Just recently:

1) The streaming anvil of the 5 June 2005 Kiowa/Tillman County supercell caused some gusty winds and heat bursts many miles to the east of the updraft. Prompted a sig wx advisory from OUN WFO.

2) Heatburst at the Guyman OK mesonet site on 10 June 2005, under the decaying anvil debris of the TX Panhandle convective mess.

Here in Norman, I've witnessed two spectacular events. We were on the extreme north end of the 1996 major event near Lawton that had sustained hurricane force winds for 1-2 hours causing damage. In Norman, we hit low 90s around 10pmish (but not the high winds).

The second event was most spectacular for Norman - 18 June 1998, decaying convective anvil of old mothership supercell in Caddo County caused 50-60 mph winds, tons of blowing dust, and a midnight temperature of 102 in Norman!
 
One time during a January Thaw many years ago, the temperature suddenly rose to 63 degrees at night. I can't remember the exact day, so I'm going to go through the records until I find it.

EDIT:

It was January 4th, 1997, but after looking at the weather data, it was a gradual build throughout the day. Still, rather unusual walking out at night in January in short sleeves and shorts and throwing snowballs.
 
Originally posted by Steve Miller TX
There was also an event in the hill country of Texas around Lake Whitney many many years ago. I first read about it in a book entitled \"Texas Weather\" by Harold Taft and Ron Godbey. This was so severe that it wilted/scorched crops and several thermometers (the old red alcohol type) at a couple of gas stations were burst. This was reported and documented by the Fort Worth Star Telegram I think...I'll double check that. I've found a copy of this book and waiting for it to arrive. I'll post details of this story when it comes in hopefully in a couple of weeks.
Click to expand...
This one was around the town of Kopperl, TX, on June 14, 1960. The event was preceeded by "explosive rays of lightning," and the temperature got up to 140°F. "Ears of corn were roasted on their stalks, cotton plants wilted, and fields of grass became dry hay ready for baling." Only Kopperl was affected, as residents inquiring of the event in neighboring towns discovered.

The quotes are from Library of Curious and Unusual Facts: Forces of Nature, from Time-Life Books, 1990.
 
So do you guys think it's possible the hottest temperature on Earth over the past few hundred years could have been caused by a heat burst? The official Earth record currently is like 138° I believe. That was in a desert so obviously that one wasn't heat burst related.
 
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