Posted on 05/10/2010 12:20:55 PM PDT by Star Traveler
Storms moving in, tornado watched issued for 44 counties.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: May 10, 2010
Oklahoma County is one of 44 counties now under a tornado watch that will remain in effect until 10 p.m., the National Weather Service reports.
The watch went into effect at 1:25 p.m. A fast-moving storm is expected to bring thunderstorms that will produce tornadoes and very large hail, forecasters said.
National Weather Service forecasters put the chance for severe thunderstorms in Oklahoma today at 100 percent. Damaging straight-line winds, heavy localized downpours, destructive hail and tornadoes are possible.
The area at the highest risk for severe storms is mainly along and east of Interstate 35 and along and north of Interstate 40, including the Oklahoma City area, according to the weather service. Areas with a moderate risk lie west of the high-risk area and east of a line extending south from Cherokee to Kingfisher, Chickasha, Ardmore and Atoka. Areas with a slight risk are west of the moderate-risk area and east of a line extending south from Buffalo to Taloga, Mountain View, Grandfield, Dundee and the Texas state line.
The storms in the risk areas will be equally severe, but a higher concentration of storms is expected in the higher risk areas, forecasters said. Severe storms are not expected to form until 3 p.m. and later.
Authorities are encouraging state residents to think ahead about where they will be this afternoon, evening and tonight to plan for how to receive weather warnings and where to seek shelter.
Up to baseball-sized hail is possible with the storms, along with tornadoes, according to the weather service.
Although severe storms are not expected in western Oklahoma, damaging straight-line winds could affect the area most of the day, forecasters said. Sustained winds of more than 40 mph are possible.
Storm chances will continue to affect Oklahoma throughout the week, but the greatest chance for severe weather is today, according to the weather service.
Oklahoma City-area forecast
Here ya go ... :-)
(S'posed to snow here in Cheyenne tonight... 4-6 inches.)
God is mad at Oklahoma for not keeping Obama off the next election ballot.
Just joking, everyone.
You bet! ... :-)
All of the ingredients are coming together for a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma and Kansas. An upper level trough is moving eastwards, creating strong wind shear favorable for tornadoes. Copious amounts of moisture at the surface and cool air aloft will provide the instability necessary for strong storms. Finally, a dryline is expected to form in western Oklahoma that will provide the initiation mechanism for storms to form. This threat is why SPC has issued a High Risk covering NE Oklahoma and SE Kansas.
Leaving Tulsa now.
Good trip, but very fast.
Be VERY watchful, that storm that slammed through MS, AR and TN caused Billions in damage and 31 dead, at the last count I heard, and the TN governor is heading out of the country while his state is in chaos.
You might want to set your TIVO for this concert. This is a commercial free concert to aid flood victims. Sunday May 16.
Funny how we are all preparing in less than 24 hours, yet N.O. could not prepare with 1 week notice.
Kevin E. Schmidt
Posted: Monday, May 10, 2010 12:13 pm
At 2:40 p.m., the On the Chase team was headed to Ellis County, Okla., where a confirmed supercell storm was expected just after 3 p.m. Ellis County is near the southern edge of the Oklahoma panhandle.
EARLIER STORY: “It’s critical to pick the right storm today and get out in front of it.”
That was the advice from Mike Phelps, meteorologist for Jim Reed during the Monday morning meeting of the On the Chase team in Wichita, Kan.
“I think Blackwell, Oklahoma, will be our initial staging point for the day,” he said. “I think we will see multiple tornadoes from one supercell.”
WQAD meteorologist Terry Swails said the storm chase team should be able to give Quad-City area residents a feel for what it’s like to chase tornadoes today.
Reed reminded the group that we could run into more than 300 other storm chase vehicles that also are in the area looking for tornadoes.
WGN Weather Center Blog
By Tom Skilling on May 10, 2010 11:03 AM
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
Tom Skilling, and fellow meteorologists Mike Phelps and Terry Swails from WQAD pour over the latest computer models. Kansas is ripe for violent weather today and the possibility of multiple tornadoes is very real! It may not happen until late in the day-they believe 5-7 Chicago time may be the stormiest!
Getting ready to sign off, don’t want my computer damaged. Stay safe.
Tornadoes on the ground in Oklahoma City and Red Rock ... things are popping...
Oh my. Stay safe everyone. Headed toward Tulsa area?
I’m in Tulsa, but the storm is in Oklahoma City and headed that way... at least the weather guy in Tulsa said that we better be watchin’ ... :-)
Amazing how the weather can change so fast. I was in Tulsa all week last week and it was simply beautiful!
Please be safe PE....Will you be driving home on the backside of these storms?
Yep, it can change fast... and you can’t tell ahead of time, unless you are checking the radar maps every few hours. I’ve taken to doing that (on my iPhone) and so if I’m out riding around on the bike (the pedal kind ... :-) ...), I can get back in time. I’ve gotten caught with these storms coming up suddenly.
This one didn’t come up suddenly as everyone knew it was coming way ahead of time, but it can happen in a couple of hours, too...
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