Significant Severe Weather Episodes Likely Today and Tomorrow...

As mentioned in a post on Monday, the potential exists for a significant wind damage event from late this afternoon into this evening and tonight over a large portion of the Midwest and Ohio Valley region.  The area at greatest risk is within the yellow shaded and lavender hatched area on the above image, which includes the cities of Chicago, Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne and Columbus.The activity may initially begin with one or more isolated, supercell...

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Tropical Trouble for Texas / Mexico Next Week?

This is not a forecast, just something that will be interesting to watch from a computer model forecast performance perspective...The last few runs of both the European and the U.S. based GFS computer models are forecasting a tropical system to develop in the Southwest part of the Gulf of Mexico late next week, with a possible impact somewhere along the Mexico and/or Texas coasts on Thursday or Friday, June 20-21:European Forecast Model Valid 7pm...

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Severe Threat Includes Widespread Damaging Winds This Week...

As we head deeper into the summer months, the threat for "significant" tornado activity generally tends to decrease, while the threat for very damaging straight line wind gusts increases - and that's definitely the type of pattern that appears to be shaping up for this week.Below are the latest severe weather outlooks for today through Wednesday, respectively:Today's severe weather threat will be characterized by generally short-lived "pulse" type...

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Tornado Threat Increasing Across Florida with T.S. Andrea...

The center of Tropical Storm Andrea is inching ever closer to the Florida "bend" at this hour, and the threat of tornadoes will continue to ramp up across the state today as this takes place...The latest Tornado Watch is in effect until 10pm EDT:Fortunately, with the center of Andrea so close to land, little in the way of additional strengthening is likely insofar as tropical characteristics are concerned.  A deluge of heavy, potentially flooding...

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Surviving a Tornado Above Ground vs. Driving Away From It: More El Reno Tornado Controversy from 5-31-13...

Before the news of "storm chaser" deaths associated with the tornadoes near El Reno, OK on May 31, 2013, the big buzz within some parts of the media and across the entire severe weather safety community had to do with scenes like the one above - a heavily congested I-35 heading South out of Oklahoma City, away from the incoming storms.So, what exactly are we looking at here?  Is this simply rush hour traffic on a Friday afternoon?  Is this...

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Thoughts on the Death of Tim Samaras; Overall Tornado Chase Situation in El Reno OK on 5-31-13...

I was both shocked and saddened to hear that severe weather researcher and storm chaser Tim Samaras (pictured above, photo courtesy National Geographic) was one of those killed by tornadoes in the Oklahoma City / El Reno areas on Friday afternoon, May 31, 2013.Tim was not the type of storm chaser that you'd "expect" to see in that type of headline.  If I had to use three words to describe Tim's approach to tornado chasing they would be experienced,...

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Severe Weather Threat Increasing Again Today thru Wednesday...

After a (thankfully) relatively quiet period with only isolated to scattered severe weather events on Saturday and Sunday, it looks like we're going to be lunged back into a more active pattern for this week...especially the first half of the week.Below are the severe weather outlooks for today through Wednesday, respectively:Right now, it appears that the most active day will likely be tomorrow, Tuesday, as the combination of middle and upper level...

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