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Severe Thunderstorm Threat From the Central Plains to the Northeast; Extreme HeatRisk for the East Coast

Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible from the central Plains to the Northeast through this evening. Widespread damaging winds are the primary threat but hail and a tornado or two is also possible. Extremely dangerous heat continues across the Eastern U.S. Warm overnight low temperatures will provide little to no relief. Read More >

Overview

A strong mid/upper level low moved across the Four Corners region. This low gradually shifted east-northeastward through the day. A couple of more subtle shortwaves ejected northeast ahead of the low, the first shortwave provided lift for a few thunderstorms in the morning across the Panhandles, and the second shortwave provided some lift by mid afternoon. Afternoon clearing in eastern NM helped surface heating and steepened low level lapse rates. As the second shortwave arrived, the combination of mid level lift and convergence along a weak moisture gradient supported additional thunderstorm development. Storm mode became quasi-linear fairly quickly with embedded supercells. Very good 0-1km and 0-3km helicity values supported rotating storms and low level rotation supporting the potential for tornadoes. Low level moisture advection was strong, however the best surface moisture stalled. Surface dewpoints ultimately maxed out in the upper 40s for most locations in the Panhandles which was a mitigating factor for tornadoes. That being said, several storms developed with hail that ranged from accumulating small hail, up to as large as baseball sized hail which was supported by very cold mid level temperatures and strong deep layer shear. Very few wind reports came out of this storm, but there were a couple gusts around 60 mph.  Several funnel clouds and two brief tornadoes have been confirmed with no reports of damage so far. One tornado was 8 miles southeast of Wilco in Hartley County, and the second was 9 miles southwest of Cactus in Moore County. 

 

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