NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY
JUNE 2009
1ST-6th…The
Eastern U.S. continued to see areas of severe weather development on Tuesday. A
trough extended from a low pressure system in eastern Canada, which pulled dry
air in from the north, while high pressure in the Mid-Atlantic pushed warm and
moist air in from the Gulf. These systems created a strong frontal boundary in
the Central U.S. that extended from New England, down the Ohio River Valley, and
into the Central Plains. This front kicked up light scattered showers with
periods of heavy downpours in areas of thunderstorms development. Strong winds,
hail, and tornadoes were also associated with this front. Wilmington, Delaware
reported 52 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 76 mph and hail up to one inch
in diameter was reported at High Ridge, Missouri. In Dodge City, Kansas, a
tornado touched ground and kicked up some dust before it dissipated after 45
seconds. In the South, a small trough triggered periods of heavy rain and
thunderstorms over the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Winds gusted up to 73 mph
in Central Garden, Texas and a tornado touched ground in Henry, Louisiana. The
southern tip of Florida also saw scattered showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday.
In the West, a low pressure system over the Pacific Northwest and Northern
Rockies kicked up cloudy skies and light showers with rainfall totals less than
a tenth of an inch. The rest of the West Coast saw a few clouds with seasonable
temperatures in the 70s and 80s.
7-13th…Strong
storms developed around a potent low pressure system that lifted into the Great
Lakes on Monday. The system was accompanied by a quasi-stationary front that
extended from the upper Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic Coast and a cold front
that stretched from the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Southern Plains. Abundant
moisture availability and enhanced instability across these regions led to bands
of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day. Stronger storms across
southwestern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, southern Michigan, western Indiana,
and along the Central and Southern Appalachians consisted of heavy rainfall,
strong gusty winds, and episodes of penny to ping pong sized hail (0.75 to 1.50
inches in diameter). These areas were placed under slight risk for severe
weather development. In the West, afternoon heating combined with waves of
energy along a frontal boundary that extended through the Northern and Central
Rockies to produce high elevation storms across the Intermountain West and the
Central High Plains. Atmospheric conditions across northeastern Colorado and
southwestern Wyoming became favorable for possible severe weather development.
Meanwhile, scattered showers and thunderstorms continued to pop up across the
southern half of the Florida Peninsula as moist, southeast flow streamed across
the region.
Once
again, severe weather developed along a stationary front that divided the
country into two separate air masses on Friday. The front stretched from New
England, down the Ohio River Valley, and into the Southern Plains and was fed
with warm and moist Gulf air, which allowed for scattered shower and
thunderstorms development. Due to small troughs of low pressure moving over this
front at higher levels, some areas of storms turned severe, specifically over
northern Texas and the Tennessee Valley, with periods of heavy rain. Quarter
size hail was reported in Snyder, Texas and strong winds manage to blow down 4
to 5 inch diameter tree branches in Wellington, Texas. Large hail and strong
winds also caused damage in Virginia and Tennessee. As this front has hovered
over the region for the last couple of days, continuous rain has caused flooding
problems over the Mid-Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys.
Meanwhile to the north, a weak front moved through the Northern Plains and
quickly produced severe thunderstorms. Heavy rain was reported with 0.43 inches
in one hour in Gering, Nebraska, while strong winds and hail also hit the
region. Three tornadoes were spotted in the region, one in Hawk Springs, Wyoming
and two in the county of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska.
In the
West, a trough of low pressure brought cool conditions to the West Coast on
Friday. The Pacific Northwest saw light rain with highs in the 60s, while most
of northern California saw overcast skies and saw high temperatures in the 60s
and 70s.
14th-20th…Severe
weather popped up again in the Central Plains on Wednesday due to a strong low
pressure system that developed over the Central Rockies. The system produced a
warm front that extended over the Central Plains and into the Mid-Mississippi
Valley. In addition to strong flow from the South that pulled in moist Gulf air,
this front had favorable conditions for scattered showers and thunderstorm
development. A tornado was reported along the Nebraska and Kansas border, with
reports of broken windshields from large hail over Odell, Nebraska. The eastern
edge of this front saw heavier rainfall with a total of 0.77 inches reported in
Anawalt, West Virginia and a wall cloud associated with a thunderstorm produced
heavy rain and golf ball size hail in Williamsburg, Kentucky. South of this
front, high pressure hovered over the Gulf on Wednesday. This brought warm and
humid weather with mostly sunny skies and highs in the 90s and 100s to most of
the Gulf states. Out West, seasonable weather returned to the West Coast as high
pressure built over the region and the low pressure trough moved over the
Rockies. The Pacific Northwest saw lingering clouds but rain has not been
reported. As the trough advanced eastward, cloudy skies with light and scattered
showers initiated over the Intermountain West.
Wet
weather was triggered in various areas of the eastern half of the US on
Thursday. In the New England, a high-level low pressure system continued
tracking northeastward and kicked up constant showers and thunderstorms
throughout the day. Periods of heavy rain fell in some areas with 1.14 inches of
rain reported in Lenox, Massachusetts. A cold front extended south from this
system and hovered over the Ohio River Valley. This front had much available
moisture at the surface, which allowed for scattered showers and thunderstorms
with light rain over most of the Tennessee Valley and Mid-Atlantic states. Some
of these storms turned severe with nickel size hail reported in Knoxville,
Tennessee. Meanwhile, strong and damaging winds blew a porch into the yard with
many nearby trees down in Alcorn, Kentucky. To the west, a low pressure system
that moved through the Central Plains pulled warm and moist air in from the
Gulf, which created a strong warm front. This front tracked northward over the
Central Plains and Mid-Mississippi Valley and moved into the Northern Plains and
Upper Midwest, which triggered some severe thunderstorms with periods of heavy
rainfall. Coulee, North Dakota reported 1.25 inches of rain, while Urbank,
Minnesota reported lots of golf ball size hail. South of this system, the
Southern Plains and Southeast warm and mild weather as high pressure hovered
over the Gulf of Mexico. This allowed for temperatures to reach into the 90s and
100s in many places. Humid conditions in Florida allowed for afternoon shower
and thunderstorm development, some of which turned severe. Nickel size hail was
reported in Chiefland, Florida. Out West, high pressure built in from the
Pacific and brought warm and dry conditions to the Pacific Northwest and
California. High level moisture moved into the Southwest and kicked up a few
scattered clouds with light and scattered showers.
A
couple areas of active weather moved through the country on Saturday. First, a
low pressure system moved through the Great Lakes on its way into the Northeast.
This system produced considerable precipitation in those areas as well as in the
Ohio Valley as the associated cold front instigated rain and thunderstorms. Rain
brought another wet day to the U.S. Open Golf Tournament. Second, another low
pressure system moved out of the Rockies and into the Plains. This system
produced additional moderate rain along with some thunderstormsin the Plains.
The precipitation associated with this feature gradually spread out in the
Plains in the afternoon. Third, a long front moved through the Intermountain
West and Great Basin. Since it did not carry much moisture, only scattered
showers fell from Nevada through Montana. The West Coast remained dry and mild
as coastal clouds kept the immediate coast cool.
Warm
conditions continued in the Southeast as temperatures rose into the 90s and some
100s. The Northeast rose into the 70s, while the Southern Plains saw
temperatures in the 80s and 90s. The Northwest rose into the 60s and 70s.
Severe
weather developed in the Tennessee Valley and Southeast as well as the Upper
Midwest on Monday. A low pressure system moved off the East Coast, while another
low pressure system moved eastward through Canada. These systems together
created a frontal boundary that hovered over the center of the country. The
south end of this system created a cold front that hovered over the Southeast
and Tennessee Valley, where it turned into a warm front that extended into the
Upper Midwest. Both systems produced periods of heavy rain, large hail, and
strong winds. Strawberry Plains, Tennessee reported 1.23 inches of new rainfall,
while strong winds blew down several trees and power lines across Kentucky,
Tennessee, and Georgia. To the north, 2.25 inch hail dented cars in Seward,
Nebraska. In the Northeast, the low pressure system kicked up overcast skies
with strong winds, but severe weather has not yet been reported. South Barr,
Massachusetts reported 17 mph winds with gust up to 32 mph accompanied by fog
and light rain. In the Southern Plains, a ridge of high pressure dominated
Monday's weather and brought hot and dry conditions. Many areas reached into the
90s and 100s. Out West, a trough of low pressure moved over the Pacific
Northwest and pushed scattered clouds over the region while it also created an
offshore flow over northern California. This allowed for warm and dry conditions
over most of the state with highs in the 80s and 90s. Southern New Mexico saw
high level scattered showers and thunderstorms, which have not turned severe.
21-27th…A
pair of fronts pressed through the northern half of the country and produced
much of its active weather. The first cold front moved through the Ohio Valley
and into the Northeast. While there was not a lot of moisture associated with
this feature, areas of scattered showers and thunderstorms moved through New
England. Much of the area was under Severe Thunderstorm Watches into the late
afternoon due to these intense thunderstorms and the threat of more to come.
Additional thunderstorms developed along the Southeast Coast but were very
scattered. Also in the East, extremely warm conditions continued in the Southern
Plains and Southeast. Heat indices rose well into the triple digits and
triggered Heat Advisories from the Plains through the Middle Mississippi Valley.
The
second front to bring active weather to the country dragged through the Northern
Rockies and into the Northern Plains. This feature produced areas of rain from
the Great Basin through North Dakota. The Rockies also experienced some
scattered precipitation. The Northeast rose into the 70s and 80s, while the
Southeast saw temperatures into the 90s. The Southern Plains rose into the 90s
and 100s, while the Northern Plains saw temperatures into the 80s. The Northwest
rose into the 60s and 70s.
28th-30th…The
Southeast saw active weather on Monday due to a stationary front that hovered
over the region. A low pressure system moving through the Great Lakes created a
strong frontal boundary that extended down the East Coast and into the
Southeast. This system pulled in some moisture from the Gulf and allowed for
many scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop along the front. Light rain
was associated with this system, with short periods of heavy down pours in areas
of thunderstorm development. No hail or tornadoes have been reported, but strong
winds blew down multiple trees and power lines in eastern Texas and the
panhandle of Florida. Heat advisories remained in effect for these areas as
temperatures peaked near 100 degrees. Flauvanna, Texas reported 0.80 inches of
rainfall and 18 mph winds with gusts up to 43 mph. To the north, the low
pressure system brought light and scattered rainfall to the Great Lakes region,
while the front approached New England throughout the day. The front kicked up
mostly cloudy skies which squeezed out a few light showers. These storms have
not yet turned severe. Behind this system, the Northern and Central Plains saw
breezy conditions as the system passed. Minneapolis, Minnesota reported 17 mph
winds with gusts up to 26 mph. Meanwhile, out West, a tropical warm and moist
airmass remained over the Southwest. This allowed for overcast skies with
scattered thunderstorm development over Arizona and New Mexico. High pressure
over the West Coast brought another day of mostly sunny skies and hot
temperatures.
Severe
weather hit the Northeast on Tuesday as a front hovered over the region. A low
pressure system slowly moved over the Great Lakes and created a cold front that
extended from the Northeast, down the East Coast, and wrapped around into the
Southeast where it changed into a stationary front. In the north, this front
kicked up scattered showers with no significant rainfall amounts reported.
However, some scattered thunderstorms over the region turned severe with nickel
size hail reported in Steuben, Pennsylvania and trees and power lines were blown
down in Kingston, New York. Meanwhile, behind this system, seasonably cool air
has poured into the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest, and Ohio River Valley with
highs in the 60s and 70s and mostly cloudy skies. In the Mid-Mississippi River
Valley and Southern Plains, afternoon thunderstorms developed with some heavy
downpours reported in areas of thunderstorms development. Hail was reported in
multiple areas of Missouri and Arkansas, while strong winds blew dog kennels
across a road in Tilly, Arkansas. Periods of heavy rain with 0.44 inches fell in
one hour in Knott, Texas. Out West, high pressure allowed for pleasant weather
to persist along the West Coast and Rocky Mountains regions. The Southwest saw
scattered clouds with a few scattered thunderstorms but no significant rainfall
or severe weather has been reported as flow from the north pushed most moisture
south of the region.
Jim G. Munley, jr.
http://www.goecities.com/jimmunleywx
