Derechos Destruction

Derechos are a weather phenomenon that can leave destruction similar to tornadoes.  When severe weather is a factor meteorologists monitoring radar need to watch out for these radar patterns. Meteorologists refer to bow echoes on radar during severe weather, which can signify potential rotation, but we also monitor potential radar signatures for derechos.

Image Credit:  National Weather Service

It’s not unusual for one house to be nearly destroyed while adjacent houses have relatively minor damage after storms that produced these derechos.  If you’ve ever heard the term “straight line winds” that refers to the weather phenomenon known as a derecho.

Meteorologists look for widespread, long-lived windstorms associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms on any given severe weather day or a day of enhanced instability.  The tern “Derecho” was coined by Dr. Gustavus Hinrichs in 1888.  The word "derechos" is a Spanish word which means "direct" or "straight ahead".  That’s why it’s commonly referred to as straight line wind damage.

The majority of derechos occur during the warm season which is May, June, July and August.  Since our planet just measured its third straight record warm year in 2016, we need to monitor every storm during the year for these radar signatures.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, derechos can cause more fatalities than EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes combined.  The SPC says that this is in spite of the fact that EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes comprise over 80% of all recorded tornadoes.

Could become Tropical Storm Chantal

Models expect some organization in the next few days could become Tropical Storm Chantal.  The almost-Depression is centered near 9N 42W, or about 1400 miles east of the Windward Islands. 

Low tornado count across the United States so far in 2013

The total number of tornadoes through early May is considerably behind the national annual average. It is also the lowest in nearly 60 years, since at least 1954. There have been 3 tornado fatalities in 2013; by the end of May 2011, 543 Americans had died. There has been a total of 20 confirmed tornadoes in the state of Alabama from January through April 2013. We are near normal for number of tornadoes. The tornado outbreaks of April 2011 are what stand out in most people's minds, but they were not the norm.

The Deep South Chill

Alabamians are used to the wacky weather in the summer, but a late spring chill is something to talk about. Reaching for the jacket heading out to Mother's day dinner is a bit unusual and we did break some records. Here's what happened…


A large, cold core upper low covered the Deep South in early May this year. The upper level low pressure system was responsible for the wet and unusually cold weather pattern across our area from May 4th through May 6th.

It all began with a surface front that pushed eastward across the State on Friday May 3rd. Check out some of these records recorded by the NWS!

Minimum High Temperature Records

Date       Location     High Temp Previous Record/Date

May 4th Birmingham 60, 60 (1967,1921)

May 5th Birmingham 59, 60 (1917)

       *Tuscaloosa      58, 68 (1960, 1957)

May 6th Birmingham 61, 61 (1992)

Montgomery            65, 65 (1992)

Anniston                  58, 62 (1992)



NWS: *Tuscaloosa also set a new all-time record minimum high temperature for the month of May with its high temperature reading of 58 degrees on May 5th. This broke the previous record of 61 set on 5/13/1971, 5/3/1970, 5/12/1960, and 5/6/1958.

Releases at Logan Martin Dam

 

Flooding at Logan Martin Lake

Image Credit: NWS
Info By NWS, CPC

According to a recent list released by Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel, three Alabama cities rank in the top 10 most tornado-prone cities in the nation.  Not hard to believe coming off of one of the most active tornado seasons in history, the record breaking, deadly and costly 2011 tornado season.  Dr. Forbes gathered data from the Storm Prediction Center between 1962-2011. He uses numbers within 75 miles of the city tornado paths, including the tornado damage path widths and lengths. His method works more with probability of a particular location getting hit by a tornado than using the raw numbers of tornado that have occurred within a metro area.

1.) Huntsville

2). Jackson, Miss.

3). Birmingham
4). Tuscaloosa
5). Little Rock, Ark.
6). Tulsa, Okla.
7). Oklahoma City
8). Atlanta, Ga.
9) Wichita, Kan.
10). Nashville, Tenn.

Image by:  Harmony Mendoza

What is a rain garden?

What is a rain garden?


According to http://www.raingardennetwork.com/, a rain garden is a shallow depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. They recommend that the garden be positioned near a runoff source like a downspout, driveway or sump pump. This will capture rainwater runoff and stop the water from reaching the sewer system.

By building a rain garden using native plants, some property owners can reduce the amount of pollution that would enter nearby water bodies or sewer. Rain gardens can also prevent surface erosion, it can reduce standing water, and create habitat for wildlife such as bugs and birds. They work well in urban and residential areas, so no matter where you live an eden is possible.

To read more on how you can create your own, just click the link in the body of this story...happy planting!

Thunderstorms are very common here in central Alabama

Central, Ala. - Thunderstorms are very common here in central Alabama as we all know too well. During the Summer months, when central Alabama is typically under the influence of high pressure, thunderstorms usually form along outflow boundaries or simply during the heating of the afternoon.

Click the link below for the full story:

NWS Significant Weather Advisory