Weather Heads Up In North Texas today! (Houston, Wichita Falls: credit, tornado)

[TexasReb]

This really isn't a thread in the true sense, but just something to pass on to those of us in North Texas. The Storms Prediction Center is forecasting a major severe weather outbreak today. So everyone keep a "heads up".

There is a High Risk outlook for large parts of Oklahoma and some areas of western North Texas. A High Risk is relatively rare and issued only in instances where something big is expected. A "Moderate Risk" covers the rest of western North Texas...and indicates the expectation of a significant severe weather event as well. Strong tornadoes and very large hail are a possibility.

Already PDS Tornado Watches have been issued (PDS = Particularly Dangeous Situation) in a large part of Oklahoma...and will like include North Texas before too long. Or at least a "regular" Tornado Watch. Here is the Public Service Weather Bulletin:

Keep a watch on the skies today, y'all!

************************

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVER A BROAD SWATH OF THE SOUTHERN
AND CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK IS FORECASTING THE
DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS OVER A
LARGE PART OF THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.
THE HIGHEST RISK IS ANTICIPATED OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS.

THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THIS ACTIVITY INCLUDE

SOUTHERN IOWA
CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS
NORTHWEST MISSOURI
FAR SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA
WESTERN...NORTHERN...AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
WEST CENTRAL THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

SURROUNDING THE GREATEST THREAT AREA...SEVERE STORMS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE FROM THE TEXAS BIG BEND REGION NORTH AND NORTHEAST INTO THE
MID AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEYS.

A SERIES OF JET STREAM DISTURBANCES...WITH WINDS IN EXCESS OF 100
MPH...WILL TRACK NORTHEAST FROM THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ROCKIES
INTO THE PLAINS BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY.

AT THE SAME TIME...A BROAD AND INCREASINGLY MOIST CURRENT OF LOW
LEVEL SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL UNITED
STATES...AND WILL SPREAD NORTH ACROSS THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND
EASTERN PARTS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS.

THE COMBINATION OF DAYTIME HEATING...INCREASING MOISTURE...AND
ASCENT PROVIDED BY THE JET STREAM IMPULSES WILL SUPPORT THE
DEVELOPMENT OF NUMEROUS BANDS AND CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS LATER
TODAY FROM PARTS OF TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA NORTHEAST INTO THE LOWER
MISSOURI VALLEY. STORMS LIKELY WILL CONTINUE TO FORM OVER MUCH OF
THE SAME REGION THROUGH TONIGHT AS ADDITIONAL JET DISTURBANCES AND
PERSISTENT MOISTURE INFLOW OFFSET THE STABILIZING INFLUENCE OF
NIGHTFALL.

CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SUSTAINED...ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS
KNOWN AS SUPERCELLS OVER A LARGE PART OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH
CENTRAL STATES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.

SOME OF THESE STORMS
WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG TORNADOES...IN ADDITION TO
SWATHS OF DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

To all my Northern TX friends: Stay safe!

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by TexasGirl@Heart

To all my Northern TX friends: Stay safe!

I gotta admit these things get me excited. Severe weather has always been a facination of mine...and I used to do some storm chasing.

At the same time, I sure as hell have a healthy respect for them! Like sharks at a blood spill. They are beautiful and awesome in their own way...but at the same time common sense says keep it at a distance and stay out of their way!

Anyway, just now a large part of North Texas is now under a PDS Tornado Watch...



URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 192
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
140 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2009

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA
PARTS OF NORTHWEST TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 140 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.


...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 90 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
CHILDRESS TEXAS TO 25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF CHANDLER OKLAHOMA.
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 189...WW 190...WW 191...

DISCUSSION...WITH STRONG SHEAR AND A VERY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT IN
PLACE...THUNDERSTORMS WILL RAPIDLY INTENSITY ALONG AND E OF DRY LINE
NWRN TX. SUPERCELLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED STRONG
TORNADOES ALONG WITH VERY LARGE HAIL WILL BECOME AN INCREASING
THREAT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS STORMS DEVELOP NEWD ACROSS THE WATCH
AREA.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24030.

[txsizzler]

Although I no longer live in Wichita Falls, TX. I do keep an eye on the weather there. Many a time I remember the powerful storms that would roll through or come nearby the area. In the nearly 15 years I was there, I witnessed 3 tornadoes (all of which just outside of Wichita Falls), plus funnel clouds on other occasions. So for the folks up in N. Texas, please heed the warnings, and take appropriate measures. Keep your NOAA weather radio on, and watch for local emergency broadcasts.


Ian

[Canine*Castle]

Well.......as I've told you before, I get totally unnerved at this time of year. The sense outside is eerie and I don't like it at all. Of course where you are, it could be worse than in central Texas. I just can't stand it and fascinating is something they are not. I do understand what you mean though; I just can't give them such credit. Stay safe; it's springtime in Texas.

[NOTAM]

we are getting bad weather down here in Central Texas-under tornado watch till 1pm, currently raining, windy, thundering....but NOTHING like the awesome SEVERE storms i remember from living near Wichita Falls. the most exciting thing i see here is a few dust devils every now and then. boring.

[catman]

Here in south Ft Worth, I got an awesome light show this morning. I was just north of the worst of it, although I got quite a bit of rain. It looks like it will be off and on storms for the foreseeable future.

I will never forget riding my motorcycle up US 287 through Wichita Fallas after the devastating tornado (1978?)...miles of heavily damaged buildings along the highway. It looked like Dresden 1945.

[shoe01]

Apparently the area northwest of Victoria had reports of large hail, high winds, and funnel clouds, so S. Texas is also affected by this system. That particular cell is headed toward the Houston area, so keep the tv, radio on if you live there.

[case44]

D/FW is supposed to get more thunderstorms over the course of the next four days, so it could get interesting. My concern is not the immediate Metroplex area, but areas to the west and northwest that recently had wildfires. The thing is, we do need the rain, and lots of it before June. We prefer it not to flood, of course, but we'll take whatever rain we can get. Why June? That's when the almanac says we will be hotter than normal.