Stephen Levine
EF4
I love intercepting storms.. all types. Not only tornado producing storms, but also dramatic lightning shows, and even snowstorms and hurricanes.
Since November, my locale has missed the opportunity of seeing about a dozen thunderstorm events, the majority of which was robbed by the cap.
In each episode, also taking place during the worst times of the day for attempted intercepts, storms would explode east of Dallas - as close as 35 miles from me, line up and march across the rest of the country all the way to the East Coast.
Case in point.. last night. The atmosphere was so severely capped that a strong cold front, shown by a nice blue snake line on the radar - came through completely dry despite temperature differences of 25 degrees on each side of the front.
Not one drop of rain fell, let alone flash of lightning.
Meanwhile, just 40 miles to my east at around 3 a.m., a line of storms erupted and marched through the rest of E. Texas and into LA.
Last week, such a system came through at 11 a.m. during a workday- impossible to get away and position for intercept. Isolated storms erupted just East of 635, the Dallas beltway, and exploded into a line that spanned N/S across our eastern counties and went on to produce spectacular storms across E.TX.- with a tornado in Western LA.
I grieved that day as I took a break from work at 4 p.m. and walked in 35 MPH winds with 25 degree dew points as mountains of pearly thunderhead towered over the eastern and southeast horizons with spectacular beauty, teasing me to go after them.
Upon occasion, the Cap has worked for me.. Twice within the last 14 years, I have watched it break and storms backbuild like a rocket SW into our region down a line from E.OK, like someone ripping open a zipper.
But mostly for me and my 'hood, the cap is nothing but a lousy no-good thief.
It causes nothing but grief and induces drought. I don't like it.
Since November, my locale has missed the opportunity of seeing about a dozen thunderstorm events, the majority of which was robbed by the cap.
In each episode, also taking place during the worst times of the day for attempted intercepts, storms would explode east of Dallas - as close as 35 miles from me, line up and march across the rest of the country all the way to the East Coast.
Case in point.. last night. The atmosphere was so severely capped that a strong cold front, shown by a nice blue snake line on the radar - came through completely dry despite temperature differences of 25 degrees on each side of the front.
Not one drop of rain fell, let alone flash of lightning.
Meanwhile, just 40 miles to my east at around 3 a.m., a line of storms erupted and marched through the rest of E. Texas and into LA.
Last week, such a system came through at 11 a.m. during a workday- impossible to get away and position for intercept. Isolated storms erupted just East of 635, the Dallas beltway, and exploded into a line that spanned N/S across our eastern counties and went on to produce spectacular storms across E.TX.- with a tornado in Western LA.
I grieved that day as I took a break from work at 4 p.m. and walked in 35 MPH winds with 25 degree dew points as mountains of pearly thunderhead towered over the eastern and southeast horizons with spectacular beauty, teasing me to go after them.
Upon occasion, the Cap has worked for me.. Twice within the last 14 years, I have watched it break and storms backbuild like a rocket SW into our region down a line from E.OK, like someone ripping open a zipper.
But mostly for me and my 'hood, the cap is nothing but a lousy no-good thief.
It causes nothing but grief and induces drought. I don't like it.
