Category: Posts EN

Squall Line Roars from the Ohio River to the Gulf; Heavy Rains Coming for the East

Written by Team Morecast

 

A large, unusually powerful and nearly stationary system has been producing several rounds of severe storms over the past few days. This was the system responsible for the high winds that sank the tourist boat in Missouri on Thursday evening. Another long-lived squall line led to more than 200 reports of large hail or damaging winds from Indiana to Florida late Friday through early Saturday. The same system has generated a rare summertime Nor’Easter. It’s the beginning of several days worth of heavy rain east of the Appalachians.

 

 

Two squall lines developed on Friday afternoon in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. The squalls converged overnight and rolled south, reaching northern Florida late Saturday morning (see radar animation above). Many of the damaging wind and hail reports (see map below) came in during the overnight hours, a particularly dangerous situation due to low visibility and lack of severe awareness. The squall line finally faded on Saturday afternoon.

 

 

The overall upper level system responsible for the severe storms remains over the Midwest today. It is forecast to move very slowly over the next several days. A persistent tap of Atlantic and Gulf moisture will mean heavy rains from the Appalachians east (see map below). Widespread amounts of 2-4 inches will accumulate. Many locations will see heavier totals of 4-8 inches by the end of next week. Localized flooding will be a daily threat, and river flooding could become an issue as well. Lead photo courtesy flickr user milkmantep.

 

Death Toll to 17 From Branson, Missouri Tourist Boat Tragedy

Written by Team Morecast

 

A severe squall line ripped across portions of Kansas and Missouri on Thursday, accompanied by destructive wind gusts as high as 90 mph. The storms whipped up high winds and waves on Table Rock Lake near Branson in southern Missouri around 7 pm, leading to the capsizing of a tourist boat. Officials have confirmed a death toll now at 17, including nine of an eleven-member family that was onboard.

The tourist-carrying vessel was of the duck boat type which can travel on both land and water. The vessel in question, operated by the “Ride the Ducks Branson” company, had entered reportedly calm water about half an hour before the storms hit. Thirty-one people were onboard. Video below shows the vessel struggling to stay afloat soon after the storms roared in.

 

 

 

The owners of the tourist company have initially claimed the storms came in with no warning. However, National Weather Service warnings had been issued around 6:35 pm CT for the Branson area. Indeed, the squall line in question had been slamming portions of eastern Kansas and Missouri since late Thursday morning. Numerous reports of severe wind damage and recorded wind gusts of 70-90 mph had been received. Soon after the storms passed Table Rock Lake, neighboring Branson Airport reported a wind gust to 63 mph.

Elsewhere, a tornado outbreak in central Iowa led to 34 reports of twisters, including at least one of F3 intensity. Dozens of injury reports have come in, especially in and around Marshalltown, Iowa.

 

 

Severe Weather, Tornadoes, Targeted Iowa on Thursday

Written by Meteo Expert Josef Lukas

Supercell thunderstorms erupted across Iowa Thursday afternoon triggering multiple tornado sightings.

One of the strongest thunderstorm cells produced a tornado that ripped through the city of Marshalltown, Iowa.

A second severe thunderstorm produced two tornadoes simultaneously near the town of Altoona, which sits just a few miles northeast of the state capital, Des Moines.

This dangerous storm continued southeast and left behind a trail of damaged and destroyed buildings.

The map below indicates all of the tornado reports that the National Weather Service received from Iowa on Thursday. The several clusters of reports on the map are likely reports from the same tornado producing thunderstorm.

It will likely take several days to confirm the number of tornadoes across Iowa on Thursday, but Ubimet meteorologists estimate that at least 3 or 4 tornadoes will be confirmed.

Tropical Storm Ampil Aims for Shanghai, China This Weekend!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Broadly organized Tropical Storm Ampil is moving slowly northeast over the western Pacific. Although conditions overall are not favorable for rapid intensification, Ampil is expected to strengthen slowly as it turns northwest. Later this weekend Ampil could be a typhoon threatening the region around Shanghai, China.

 

 

Ampil is currently being disrupted by larger upper level systems nearby. This disruption will gradually lessen over the next few days. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures are warm enough to support intensification. However, the layer of warm water is shallow. The winds and waves generated by the storm are tending to mix cooler water to the surface, limiting the energy available for the cyclone to feed on. As the storm speeds up, this cooling effect could diminish.

Model guidance suggests Ampil will turn north and then northwest from Friday into Saturday, passing very close to or over the Japanese island of Okinawa. By Sunday morning Ampil is expected to be a minimal typhoon approaching the Chinese mainland. Most models indicate a landfall south of the Shanghai metro, but we can’t rule out a direct strike at this time. Wherever landfall occurs, expect flooding rainfall and gusty winds!