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SPC Forecast Products
SPC - No watches are valid as of Fri May 18 22:31:02 UTC 2012
MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0833
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0519 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012
AREAS AFFECTED...CNTRL WY
CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH UNLIKELY
VALID 182219Z - 182315Z
PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...20 PERCENT
SUMMARY...A LOCALIZED DMGG WIND AND HAIL THREAT MAY EXIST STORMS
MOVING NEWD ACROSS CNTRL WY. A WW IS NOT CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED...BUT
TRENDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED.
DISCUSSION...STRONG FORCED ASCENT ACCOMPANYING AN ERN GREAT BASIN
UPPER TROUGH...ALONG WITH MLCAPE VALUES NEAR 500-1000 J/KG...HAVE
SUPPORTED AN INCREASE IN CONVECTIVE INTENSITY OVER THE PAST FEW HRS.
OF NOTE...A LINE OF TSTMS EMANATING OFF THE WIND RIVER MTNS HAS
RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED AS IT MOVES NEWD...WITH A WIND GUST OF 67 KTS
RECENTLY OBSERVED AT KRIW. ADDITIONALLY...BASE VELOCITY PRODUCT FROM
KRIW RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW STRONG WINDS ACCOMPANYING THE LEADING
EDGE OF ATTENDANT COLD POOL. ALTHOUGH CONVECTION IS OCCURRING N OF A
COLD FRONT /SITUATED ACROSS SRN WY/...A CONTINUED THREAT FOR DMGG
WINDS WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THIS LINE THROUGH AT LEAST THE NEXT HR
AS STEEP POST-FRONTAL LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES BENEATH MODERATE
MIDLEVEL FLOW SUPPORT DOWNWARD MOMENTUM TRANSPORT.
FARTHER E...AN ISOLATED SUPERCELL OVER NATRONA COUNTY HAS
OCCASIONALLY DISPLAYED POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING HAIL. EFFECTIVE SHEAR
NEAR 40 KTS AND STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF A
MARGINAL/ISOLATED HAIL AND DMGG WIND THREAT FOR THE NEXT 1-2 HRS
ACROSS THIS AREA WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.
..ROGERS/MEAD.. 05/18/2012
...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...
ATTN...WFO...UNR...CYS...BYZ...RIW...
LAT...LON 44020542 43120560 42270606 42100679 42320780 43100844
43950873 44340819 44770654 44600587 44020542
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MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0832
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0454 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012
AREAS AFFECTED...CNTRL / SRN MN
CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH UNLIKELY
VALID 182154Z - 182300Z
PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...20 PERCENT
SUMMARY...STRONG TSTMS CAPABLE OF LOCALLY ENHANCED WIND GUSTS
APPROACHING SEVERE LEVELS WILL BE POSSIBLE INTO MID-EVENING. A
WATCH IS NOT ANTICIPATED OWING TO THE MARGINAL NATURE OF THE THREAT.
DISCUSSION...A N-S BAND OF TSTMS HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED FROM NEAR
STC SWD TO JUST N OF FRM...APPARENTLY IN ASSOCIATION WITH A WEAK
MIDLEVEL VORTICITY MAXIMUM TRANSLATING NEWD THROUGH THE MID-MO
VALLEY. AMBIENT AIR MASS IS CHARACTERIZED BY A HOT AND DEEPLY MIXED
BOUNDARY LAYER WHERE T-TD SPREADS ARE APPROACHING 50 F. WHILE
VERTICAL SHEAR WILL REMAIN SUB-OPTIMAL FOR STORM ORGANIZATION AND
SUSTENANCE...THE PRESENCE OF STEEP LOW TO MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES AND
DCAPE VALUES AROUND 1500 J/KG MAY PROMOTE STRONG EVAPORATIVE COOLING
POTENTIAL WITH RESULTANT SURFACE WIND GUSTS APPROACHING SEVERE
LEVELS.
..MEAD.. 05/18/2012
...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...
ATTN...WFO...DLH...MPX...DMX...FSD...
LAT...LON 43599508 45199480 46019458 46329423 46339337 45699304
44559322 43759366 43579418 43489462 43599508
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SPC May 18, 2012 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 0243 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012 VALID 182000Z - 191200Z ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS PARTS OF ERN UT/SWRN WY/NWRN CO... ...FAR ERN UT/SWRN WY/NWRN CO... THE STRENGTH OF THE UPPER SYSTEM CROSSING THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST HAS RESULTED IN EARLIER EXPANSION OF STORM COVERAGE THAN INITIALLY ANTICIPATED...WHICH IN MANY AREAS WILL HINDER MIXING OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER -- AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE POTENTIAL FOR EVAPORATIVELY DRIVEN DAMAGING GUSTS. STILL HOWEVER...THREAT FOR LOCAL GUSTS APPEARS SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO WARRANT CONTINUATION OF THE SLIGHT RISK ACROSS THIS AREA THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. ...ELSEWHERE... LOW BOUNDARY LAYER DEWPOINTS -- AND THUS LIMITED INSTABILITY -- SHOULD CONTINUE TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND VICINITY. DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF THE NE-SW LOW-LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE BISECTING THE DAKOTAS THIS AFTERNOON...MODEST WARM SECTOR CAPE...LIMITED SHEAR...AND LIKELIHOOD THAT MOST CONVECTION WILL REMAIN TO THE COOL SIDE OF THE FRONT SUGGESTS THAT SLIGHT RISK UPGRADE REMAINS UNNECESSARY ACROSS THIS REGION. DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION IS ALSO ONGOING ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST AS AN UPPER LOW LINGERS INVOF THE CAROLINA COAST...BUT ASIDE FROM S FL -- WHERE MODESTLY ENHANCED FLOW ALOFT IS SUPPORTING A FEW MARGINALLY SEVERE CELLS...SEVERE THREAT SHOULD REMAIN MINIMAL. ..GOSS.. 05/18/2012 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1127 AM CDT FRI MAY 18 2012/ ...ERN UT/SWRN WY INTO WRN CO... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A STRONG UPPER TROUGH MOVING EWD ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN THIS MORNING...ASSOCIATED WITH 70-100 M HEIGHT FALLS AND -18C TEMPERATURE AT 500 MB. DYNAMIC FORCING FOR LARGE SCALE ASCENT AHEAD OF THE TROUGH COUPLED WITH FRONTAL LIFT ALONG AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT HAS RESULTED IN A BAND OF TSTMS FROM THE SERN ID/SWRN WY BORDER SSWWD INTO CENTRAL UT. ENVIRONMENT DOWNSTREAM FROM THE CONVECTIVE BAND IS CHARACTERIZED BY A DEEP SFC-BASED MIXED LAYER AND AMPLE MID LEVEL MOISTURE. VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS LIMITED CLOUDS FROM PARTS OF ERN UT INTO SWRN WY...WITH CLOUDS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH FROM THE WEST OVER WRN CO THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL PROMOTE STRONG DIABATIC HEATING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...FURTHER STEEPENING LAPSE RATES AND CONTRIBUTING TO DEVELOPMENT OF MUCAPE OF 500-1000 J/KG. THE PRESENCE OF A DEEP MIXED LAYER WILL ALSO RESULT IN LARGE VALUES OF DCAPE...INDICATING POTENTIAL FOR STRONG DOWNDRAFTS ENHANCED BY EVAPORATIVE COOLING AND DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATES. THIS WILL RESULT IN A THREAT FOR STRONG/SEVERE WIND GUSTS AS STORMS SPREAD/DEVELOP EWD THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ...ERN WY INTO THE DAKOTAS... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL CONSOLIDATE FROM NERN ND SWWD INTO SERN WY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE PRIMARY COLD FRONT MOVES EWD ACROSS ERN MT AND NERN WY. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS LIKELY REMAINING AOB 55F...BUT STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL COMPENSATE TO SOME EXTENT ALLOWING MUCAPE TO REACH 1000-1500 J/KG. LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPSTREAM NRN TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER THE BC/ALTA REGION IS EXPECTED TO LAG WELL WEST OF THE FRONTAL LOCATION...WITH MESOSCALE LIFT AND SUBSEQUENT CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT MOST CONCENTRATED ALONG/WEST OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY. THE STEEP LAPSE RATES AND LOW LEVEL MIXED LAYER MAY SUPPORT HAIL AND A FEW STRONG WIND GUSTS WITH ISOLATED CONVECTIVE CELLS...BUT OVERALL SEVERE THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BE LIMITED. ...FAR S FL THIS AFTN... HIGH LVL WLY JET MAY YIELD AN ENHANCED RISK FOR A FEW PULSE STORMS WITH STRONG WINDS OVER FAR S FL TODAY...WHERE PW WILL BE AOA 1.50 INCHES AND MID LVL TEMPS RELATIVELY COOL /AROUND MINUS 10C AT 500 MB/.Read more