Oklahoma Severe Weather Discussion - July & August 2011

[Thunder]

Venture, I'm sad the chat is not active. :-(

[cameron_405]

...loss of power near Lake Hefner -- hooray for battery backup internet. "Thanks, AT&T!" (laptop's fully charged)

[venture]

Some extreme wind on radar up in Northern Oklahoma County and Southern Logan County.

[venture]

Bulletin - immediate broadcast requested
severe thunderstorm warning
national weather service norman ok
1258 am cdt wed aug 10 2011

the national weather service in norman has issued a

* severe thunderstorm warning for...
Western lincoln county in central oklahoma...
Logan county in central oklahoma...
Northern oklahoma county in central oklahoma...
Southwestern payne county in central oklahoma...

* until 145 am cdt

* at 1258 am cdt...national weather service radar indicated severe
thunderstorms along a line extending from guthrie to 4 miles north
of arcadia to spencer...moving east at 40 mph.

Hazards in the warning include...
Wind gusts to 60 mph...

* locations in the warning include arcadia...carney...cedar valley...
Coyle...edmond...forest park...guthrie...jones...lake aluma...
Langston...luther...meridian...northeastern oklahoma city...
Perkins...seward...spencer...tryon...warwick and wellston.

[venture]

Outlooks from SPC...cleaned up a bit to remove the portions that don't mean anything to OK.

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1257 AM CDT WED AUG 10 2011

VALID 101200Z - 111200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM SERN KS/ERN OK EWD INTO
THE SRN APPALACHIANS...

...SYNOPSIS...
ONLY MINOR CHANGES EXPECTED IN THE LARGE SCALE UPPER PATTERN THIS
PERIOD...WITH A FLAT RIDGE OVER THE S CENTRAL AND SWRN STATES...VERY
WEAK TROUGHING OVER THE NW...AND TROUGHING OVER THE EAST.

AT THE SURFACE...A BAROCLINIC ZONE IS FORECAST TO LIE NNW-SSE ALONG
THE HIGH PLAINS...AND THEN MORE EWD ACROSS THE SRN PLAINS/MID LOWER
MS VALLEY AND INTO THE SOUTHEAST. THIS BOUNDARY WILL COINCIDE WITH
A ZONE OF CONVECTIVE/LOW-END SEVERE POTENTIAL THROUGH THE PERIOD.

...SERN KS/ERN OK EWD INTO THE MID MS/TN VALLEYS...
SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT FORECAST ACROSS THIS REGION IN TERMS OF
DETAILS...AS WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ONGOING FROM NEB SWD INTO OK WILL
BE SHIFTING INTO THE SLIGHT RISK AREA EARLY IN THE PERIOD.
PRESUMING AMPLE DESTABILIZATION CAN OCCUR AHEAD OF THE LINGERING
CONVECTION...STORMS SHOULD REINTENSIFY DURING THE AFTERNOON -- AIDED
BY MODERATE WLY/WNWLY FLOW ALOFT.

STORMS SHOULD SHIFT EWD/ESEWD WITH TIME...MOVING ACROSS THE
MID/LOWER MS VALLEY INTO THE TN VALLEY...BEFORE WEAKENING DURING THE
EVENING INTO THE SRN APPALACHIANS. IN THE MEAN TIME...THREATS FOR
HAIL AND LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE SLIGHT
RISK AREA.

-----------

DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1230 AM CDT WED AUG 10 2011

VALID 111200Z - 121200Z

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER A PORTION OF THE NRN AND
CNTRL HIGH PLAINS...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER A PORTION OF THE SRN
PLAINS THROUGH LOWER MS VALLEY...

..SYNOPSIS...

THE ERN U.S. UPPER TROUGH WILL DEAMPLIFY SLIGHTLY ON THURSDAY WITH A

CONTINUATION OF THE PROGRESSIVE QUASI-ZONAL FLOW REGIME. SHORTWAVE
TROUGH NOW MOVING INTO SRN BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL REACH THE NRN HIGH
PLAINS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACCOMPANIED BY A COLD FRONT.
QUASI-STATIONARY BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL PERSIST FROM THE SERN STATES
INTO THE SRN PLAINS OF EXTREME NRN TX OR SRN OK.

...SRN ROCKIES...SRN PLAINS THROUGH LOWER MS VALLEY AREAS...

STORMS WILL LIKELY ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP IN VICINITY OF CONVECTIVELY
REINFORCED BAROCLINIC ZONE FROM NRN TX OR OK EWD INTO THE LOWER MS
VALLEY REGION AS WELL AS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NM AND SRN CO.
MUCH OF THIS REGION WILL REMAIN JUST SOUTH OF THE STRONGER FLOW
ALOFT...BUT STEEP LAPSE AND INVERTED-V PROFILES WILL SUPPORT A
THREAT OF ISOLATED DOWNBURSTS. OTHER STORMS MAY DEVELOP OVERNIGHT
ACROSS OK OR KS INTO THE LOWER MS VALLEY AS THE LLJ STRENGTHENS
RESULTING IN INCREASING LIFT NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY.

[venture]

Bulletin - immediate broadcast requested
severe thunderstorm warning
national weather service norman ok
120 am cdt wed aug 10 2011

the national weather service in norman has issued a

* severe thunderstorm warning for...
Northern pottawatomie county in central oklahoma...

* until 200 am cdt

* at 119 am cdt...national weather service radar indicated a severe
thunderstorm near dale...moving east at 40 mph.

Hazards in the warning include...
Hail up to the size of nickels...
Wind gusts to 60 mph...

* locations in the warning include aydelotte...bethel acres...dale...
Earlsboro...johnson...mcloud...pink...shawnee and tecumseh.

[Thunder]

Serious news is serious.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- When the power went out in Breann Oagus' northeast Oklahoma City home Monday night, the coolest spot at her house was outside with her eight puppies.

Oagus lives near Northeast 24th Street in Oklahoma City, and like many Oklahomans, she was affected by severe thunderstorms that rolled across the state. Unlike most Oklahomans, she had a pack of pups to manage in the dark.

Six weeks ago, Oagus adopted a stray dog who was hanging around her home.

A few days later, the dog had eight puppies -- and, now, Oagus is trying to find them good homes.

"Craigslist or whatever. They're free. I just don't want them to go to the pound," Oagus said.

Five of the dogs are female, and three are male.

If you would like to adopt one, call Breann at 405-881-5202.

http://www.koco.com/news/28810367/detail.html

[bandnerd]

...loss of power near Lake Hefner -- hooray for battery backup internet. "Thanks, AT&T!" (laptop's fully charged)

Yup, lost it around 12:30ish. Came back at about 3:30. When I called the outage number, OG&E didn't recognize my home phone number. So, I called again. I guess their system was having problems, because as soon as I put my number in again, it put me on hold until I could talk to a real person. They need new hold music.

We didn't lose power once during the spring storm season, save for a flicker here and there. What is this weather?

[PennyQuilts]

Storm started getting here around 12:30 and we lost power around 3:15. That was some kind of wind, rain and lightning (much appreciated). We ended up getting about 3/8ths of an inch and no sleep because the dogs were scared. Still trying to wake up and if I didn't know my husband was religious about real coffee, I'd suspect he swapped out for some decaff. It just isn't kicking in, yet.

[ultimatesooner]

have a friend about a mile e of 35 on waterloo that lost a bunch of trees - gonna go out there later and help them clean up

[BlackmoreRulz]

Power went out here at 12:43, went outside and watched it rain and the wind blow. I have lived in OK almost all of my life and I had never seen wind like that. We lost my wifes beloved corkscrew willow tree that she had planted when we moved in here, I actually saw it fall while watching the storm. Power came back on about 8AM....never realized how much I depend on this computer

[cameron_405]

"...they need new hold music...

...Muzak emerged from bankruptcy last year -- reckon they'd love to have their business!

Muzak Sings Upbeat Tune - 2010

Side-Note: I purchased a Muzak cassette deck (prolly weighs 10 pounds) and a couple of 'binders' of cassettes when I helped to liquidate "Jeans West" at Penn Square.

[OKCisOK4me]

have a friend about a mile e of 35 on waterloo that lost a bunch of trees - gonna go out there later and help them clean up

My dad lives within the same vicinity and he put it about like that too. They didn't lose any whole trees though.

[Bunty]

Tulsa area got hit hard by high winds from the storms last night: http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/...m-watch/nDGfq/

Some of the other places that got hard hit on Monday, such as Stillwater, dodged the worst part of the storms last night. Stillwater can resume normal use of water. Power has been restored to the pumping station at Kaw Lake.

Nice to see that the northern half of Oklahoma is having a hard time getting out of the 80s this afternoon. What a change!

[Thunder]

These images will change. We'll have more storms later today into tonight. If this keep on happening, the 100s will be killed!





Looking at the temp for OKC is at 90-91. The streak has been broken.

[Easy180]

I would rather the drought continue if we have to deal with hail and winds to get some rain

[SoonerBeerMan]

I would rather the drought continue if we have to deal with hail and winds to get some rain

Really?!??! What's the old saying, "You take the bad with the good."

I have a feeling the farmers, ranchers, and, heck, pretty much anyone with disagree with you.

[BG918]

I would rather the drought continue if we have to deal with hail and winds to get some rain

Nothing is easy when it comes to weather in Oklahoma. It's one extreme or the other.

[Thunder]

I would rather the drought continue if we have to deal with hail and winds to get some rain

This is a cold-hearted statement.

Drought is more damaging than precious hail and winds.

[Easy180]

Really?!??! What's the old saying, "You take the bad with the good."

I have a feeling the farmers, ranchers, and, heck, pretty much anyone with disagree with you.

Ok with that...I'm a pretty selfish dude...lol

[Bunty]

This is a cold-hearted statement.

Drought is more damaging than precious hail and winds.

I don't think so. But I'm not a farmer. A drought won't take your electricity and Internet access away, or put dents in your car. You just find the wind and hail more exciting to live with than a boring drought. I don't. Monday night, I found hearing the wind roar with every gust during the storm rather frightening, knowing they had registered as high as 96mph earlier in the day in Lahoma.

[SoonerBeerMan]

I don't think so. But I'm not a farmer. A drought won't take your electricity and Internet access away, or put dents in your car. You just find the wind and hail more exciting to live with than a boring drought. I don't. Monday night, I found hearing the wind roar with every gust during the storm rather frightening, knowing they had registered as high as 96mph earlier in the day in Lahoma.

I'm going to side with Thunder on this on. Ignoring the impact that droughts vs hail/wind would have on utilities (both effect electrical systems, droughts can damage water pipes, etc.), just consider the size of the area of impact each of these have. A drought can effect entire parts of countries wiping out crops and water supplies which are both pretty essential to life. Hail and wind will damage and destroy property, but property and material items can be replaced (especially with insurance). And these storms effect relatively small areas.

[PennyQuilts]

Nothing is easy when it comes to weather in Oklahoma. It's one extreme or the other.

Seems like it this time of year but we have months and months of gorgeous weather and our winters are a piece of cake compared to many up north.

[ou48A]

We have lots of good WX with a few periods of extreme WX.

But it’s wise to plan ahead by making choices that could reduce potential damages.

It would be very wise IMHO to require all new homes to be built with hurricane clips. They are very cheep.
Some building methods and materials, trees and plants hold up better than others.
A tree that is well suited for central and western Oklahoma is the Chinese Pistache.

[venture]

Everyone has their own opinion on the weather and such. If the threat of damaging weather isn't your cup of tea, there is a place called San Diego. LOL Living here we all know the risk every time the sky gets cloudy. It is just the way it is in our neck of the woods. If we want it to change, then we need to drain the Gulf and grind down the Rockies. Probably not happening anytime soon though. :-)

Either way. I know how it can be when things get rough and you are on edge. My wallet cringes thinking i'll have to do another insurance claim this year. However, it comes with the territory. Losing power, internet, etc...it is all superficial BS we rely on now. On the other side, we have thousands of acres completely dry and dying where crops can't grow. If we don't get any precip to start getting the ground wet, next summer is going to probably be much worse. I for one will be praying for a wet/stormy fall and winter. Reminds me...I need to get that snow blower this year finally. I'm done shoveling. LOL

Anyway, back to weather.

Stationary front is roughly just south of I-40 now hanging over Norman. Slight risk has been re-issued for Central and Western OK for storms this evening and tonight. Slight Risk continues for tomorrow.

...ERN TX PANHANDLE EWD INTO CENTRAL OK...
HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT STORMS WILL
DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON NEAR THE FRONTAL INTERSECTION IN THE TX
PANHANDLE...AND THEN SHIFT EWD INTO WRN/CENTRAL OK THIS EVENING NEAR
THE I-40 CORRIDOR. TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID
90S...RESULTING IN MODERATE INSTABILITY. ELY BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS
VEERING TO WLY WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SUPERCELLS...WITH WIND DAMAGE
THE MAIN THREAT.