June 26, 2019
Here we go with another Weekly Update! This week was a week of surprising weather I would say. Let's do a recap of this week. Now of course, North Texas received yet another Sunday storm although this storm was much different than all the others. Why? Well this storm was a Mesocyclone and it also had a very complicated path and pattern. Now, as I promised, I was going to talk specifically about Mesocyclone Storms this Weekly Update so that's whats going to happen. Check out the Weather Center question for this week lower down in this blog to learn about Mesocyclones!
The Storm this Sunday June 23 was different because of its very complicated weather system set up. There was a cold front that was coming down from the Northwest while a warm front was moving up from the South causing a Stationary Front. In meteorology, a stationary front forms when a cold front or a warm front stops moving. This happens when two large air masses are pushing against each other but neither is powerful enough to move each other. This front system is a very complicated front because their not moving very much so there is a lot of time for things to happen or change. This front can also produce some intense storms if the front is moving through an unstable part of the atmosphere. The storm DFW got was the result of this front. Because of the instability of the atmosphere, we got this intense storm.
Meteorologists predicted a strong wall of storms to come from West to East but this rotating intense storm weakened suddenly and spun out. When a storm spins out, it loses its intensity and changes form, direction, etc. The storm weakened, changed shape, and now the wall of storms dissolved slightly and mixed in with the northern portion of the storm. Soon, the northern storm came crashing down with less intensity as predicted but after passing through Collin County, it intensified causing 60-70 MPH winds. This storm overall wasn't very intense but did cause minor damage.
(Could we have another Sunday Storm??) :0
Weather Forecast:
Today- Partly Cloudy, High 91'. A small chance of Showers
Thursday- Mostly Sunny, High 93'
Friday- Sunny, High 94'.
Saturday- Partly Cloudy, High 93'. A small chance of Thunderstorms in the evening
Sunday- Mostly Sunny, High 91'. A chance of Thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Monday- Cloudy, High 88'
Tuesday- Cloudy, High 89'. A chance of Thunderstorms late in the evening
Wednesday- Scattered Thunderstorms, High 86'. Some storms may be strong to Severe.
This Weeks Weather Question:
What are Mesocyclones?
A Mesocyclone is a vortex of rotating air within a storm. This air rises and rotates around a vertical axis, rotating in the same direction as the low pressure system that is present with the storm. Mesocyclones are most often associated with a low pressure system that will power the thunderstorm.
Mesocyclones will form when:
1. A strong Jet stream is present over an area of low pressure. Low pressure is a region on the where the atmospheric pressure is lower than the surrounding locations in the area.
2. A good Wind shear. Wind forms when a low pressure system is moving into your area. To create a good wind shear, the atmosphere needs:
a. A Jet stream
b. Updraft winds
c. Surface winds
3. Instability of the atmosphere
With those ingredients, the atmosphere will form a column of rotating air, pulling in moisture and warm air. Then clouds will form around this structure and storms will begin to form. The storm will continue to intensify. When Doppler radar detects a large rotating updraft that occurs inside a super cell, it is called a mesocyclone. If you didn't know, Radar can also detect storms with large hail, high winds, and tornadoes!
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So long,
Weather Center