Tornadoes, extreme flooding, unprecedented heat expected in U.S. today

[phantom power]

Widespread and potentially catastrophic areal flooding and river flooding is expected this afternoon through Wednesday morning in Eastern Oklahoma, Western Arkansas, Western Louisiana, and Southwest Missouri, warns the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in their latest flood watch for the region.

The storm system responsible is a massive, slow-moving trough of low pressure over the Western U.S. that dumped heavy snows that closed several interstate highways in Arizona over the weekend. This storm system will collide with the warmest and moistest air mass ever recorded in March in the Central and Eastern U.S. According to the NWS in Minneapolis, Minnesota, moisture flowing northwards into Minnesota along the cold front yesterday had the highest levels of moisture ever recorded so early in the year, and moisture levels are expected to remain at record levels today.

At the boundary between the Western U.S. trough of low pressure and Central U.S. ridge of high pressure, a cold front will lift huge quantities of moisture-laden air aloft, forcing record rains to fall. A wide region of 4 - 8 inches of rain is expected in the flood watch area, and isolated amounts as high as 15 inches could fall by Wednesday, as numerous rounds of thunderstorms repeatedly track over the same area.

The cold front is also expected to trigger a Moderate Risk of severe weather over much of Texas today, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, says NOAA's Storm Prediction Center. Damaging winds, large hail, flash flooding, and few strong tornadoes are expected to affect the area late this afternoon. Severe thunderstorm watches are already posted for much of West Texas, as seen on our Severe Weather Map. Eleven tornadoes were reported yesterday in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Dakota.



http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2055

[HereSince1628]

1. It is remarkable, and in southern WI there is anxiety by orchard owners.

The 80 degree temps have the trees budding out: the trees are committed to an early spring. A typical freeze, or even a hard frost could devastate the buds on a lot of orchards. Historically, the probability of overnights below 29F from mid-March to mid April is high.

[izquierdista]

3. This ain't historical

I know that long term weather forecasts revert to climatology, but this winter has been anything but usual. The ground has warmed up, the snow melt already has, and the Arctic is going to pass its sea ice maximum any day now. There is no cooling process I can think of that would make for a cool April with even a normal probability of freezes. The question now is, what does this portend for the summer?

[watrwefitinfor]

5. Thank you for voicing what I've been thinking.

"There is no cooling process I can think of that would make for a cool April with even a normal probability of freezes. The question now is, what does this portend for the summer?"

After such a mild winter, and now two weeks of over 80 degree days and 60 degree nights (like a normal early June), the ground here (SC) is warming up (the children are going barefoot in March) and I can't think of anything that is going to mitigate that. I look for the rain to stop soon, and perhaps the whole mid to eastern part of the country will look like Texas did last summer and fall. It ain't going to be pretty.

And WHY IS NO ONE ADDRESSING THIS? The idiot news and weather people are on my set daily, grinning like fools, telling us how lucky we are not to have a big heating bill and to get out and enjoy this "wonderful summer weather".

Wat

[XemaSab]

6. The sea ice has already hit peak

[HereSince1628]

7. I hope you are correct, it's been a winter of strangely contorted jet streams

over the northern hemisphere. It's still rather remarkably kinky, and extreme stuff could happen.

[Dead_Parrot]

2. Sounds like fun

[Loudmxr]

4. Then perhaps I should just stay in bed.

[guardian]

8. Whew! That was close.

Is it safe to come out of the bunker now?