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For just the fourth time in the past seven decades, a destructive tornado rolled over portions of Cape Cod in southeast Massachusetts. Multiple tornado touchdowns were confirmed by the National Weather Service survey team in Yarmouth and Harwich. Other sections of the Cape saw destructive straight-line winds to 90 mph. Trees and powerlines were flattened, knocking out power to over 50,000 residents and vacationers, most of whom are still in the dark as of Tuesday night.

 

 

The storm responsible for the tornado was observed on regional radar much earlier in the day leaving the coast of New Jersey. It skirted eastern Long Island in the mid-morning, causing some sporadic gusty winds. However, the rotation tightened significantly as the storm crossed the open water south of coastal New England. By noon, it was moving back onshore on Cape Cod with widespread destructive wind gusts of 70-90 mph. Video evidence suggests the tornado itself may have started as a waterspout, only causing significant damage when it came on land. The roof of the Cape Sands Inn was almost totally ripped off (see video tweet below), just a year after it had been completely replaced.

 

Take a look at this video from Misty Davis in South Yarmouth. The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down on Cape Cod https://t.co/IAAT8TFbos pic.twitter.com/X2B8l4Ygqi

— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) July 23, 2019

 

The moment the roof blew off The Cape Sands Inn in West Yarmouth. #CapeTornado @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/2ZPfNkwpVU

— Shannon Mulaire NBC10 Boston (@ShanNBCBoston) July 23, 2019

 

Tornado activity on Cape Cod is generally very rare. This narrow strip of land lies between three relatively cool bodies of water, drastically limiting the opportunity for very warm, unstable air usually necessary for tornadic storm development. Only three other tornadoes have been reported since 1950, the most recent being a relatively weak waterspout that came ashore as an EF-0 at Woods Hole in October of last year. Analysis is ongoing, but preliminary indications are that the Tuesday twister will be rated a “high-end” EF-1 with winds of 110 mph. Lead photo courtesy Wikipedia contributor ShorebreakOz.

 

Much of the Midwest and East baked under abnormally hot temperatures that set numerous records this weekend. Heat index values of 110 deg F and higher made it feel much worse. Fortunately, a break is on the way in the form of showers and storms, although a few residents may have to bear the cost of the cooldown with spotty flash flooding likely.

 

Extreme heat warnings lit up much of the central and eastern US in the past several days. The chart at left shows peak temperatures and heat index values for Saturday and Sunday in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Keep in mind that heat index values above around 104 deg F can cause serious health impacts. Heat exhaustion becomes likely at these temperatures, and heat stroke is a major risk with prolonged outdoor activity. The demand on electrical supply at one point forced Con Edison, electricity provider for New York City, to shut the power off for several neighborhoods in Brooklyn in order to prevent a much larger outage.

 

 

Not only were afternoon temperatures at dangerously hot levels, overnight lows remained very warm as well. The chart above shows the numerous cities that set warm low temperature records on Saturday morning alone. Note the warmest readings occurred in the major cities, where asphalt retains heat longer than soil. It’s a great example of what’s referred to as the “urban heat island” effect. These sultry overnight temperatures can exacerbate health issues by disallowing any kind of break that the human body needs from hot conditions.

 

 

Fortunately, help is on the way. Already Sunday night, numerous showers and storms were moving along a front settling down into the Midwest and Northeast. This rain threat will continue through Monday. In fact, flash flood watches are in effect for much of this region. After the rain departs, temperatures will settle back down to warm but normal summertime levels.

 

Blazing heat and high humidity are making for an explosive combination from the Plains all the way to the Eastern Seaboard. Extremely hot, unstable air is helping fuel dangerous wind storms in the western Great Lakes tonight. Meanwhile, residents of the big eastern urban centers are preparing for killer heat over the weekend.

 

 

A cluster of severe storms has been racing across parts of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin Friday evening (see animation above). The storms are feeding on abnormally high humidity and temperatures to the south and should continue to roll into Lower Michigan early Saturday morning. Reports indicate widespread winds of 60-80 mph (100-130 kph) have knocked down numerous trees and powerlines, resulting in thousands of power outages.

 

 

The same hot air mass has built into the Eastern Seaboard for the upcoming weekend. Temperatures from Washington D.C. through Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston will reach well into the 90s if not the lower 100s (upper 30s deg C). The record-threatening heat combined with high humidity will result in dangerous heat index values of 105 to 115 deg F. In this range, heat exhaustion is likely even with only short-duration outdoor activity. Prolonged exposure or physical activity outside can result in heat stroke, a potentially deadly condition. Heat-related illnesses account for more deaths annually than any other weather phenomena. This dangerous heat spell is made worse by the fact that overnight temperatures will not fall much, especially in the cities. That means very little opportunity for relief from the heat, increasing the risk of heat-related illness, especially among the elderly. Officials in all the major cities have opened hundreds of public cooling shelters and are encouraging those without access to air conditions to take advantage.