Severe Weather 2016 - First Blood

[ShockerFever]

I would say at this point, the tornado threat is close to being over for SC KS.

Yep.

Mid and upper meridial flow and virtually little to no directional shear eliminated any serious tornado threat today.

Nice rains and hail will wrap up this hypefest.

[wayreth21]

All the storm prediction people need to stop hyping up these storms. They do it every winter. These storms usually amount to nothing. Chicken Little called and he wants his story back.

As to my original statement about wanting to see storms. I do not own any business that would benefit from these storms. I work from home. I own my house and have it fully insured. Stuff is replaceable. I just enjoy watching the havok that powerful storms can create.

[ShockTalk]

All the storm prediction people need to stop hyping up these storms. They do it every winter. These storms usually amount to nothing. Chicken Little called and he wants his story back.

As to my original statement about wanting to see storms. I do not own any business that would benefit from these storms. I work from home. I own my house and have it fully insured. Stuff is replaceable. I just enjoy watching the havok that powerful storms can create.

Powerful storms may also include injury and death.

[shoxlax]

....as do mushroom clouds.

[pogo]

....as do mushroom clouds.

The problem with those is if you see one you are probably too close.

[Kung Wu]

The problem with those is if you see one you are probably too close.

Just like my ex-girlfriends!!

[WuDrWu]

There were 1000s of Westar customers without power for varying lengths of time tonight.

Hopefully no one was adversely affected, and I hope nobody suffered any water damage from flooding. We did need the rain. Even east of the Turnpike.

[Aargh]

I thought there was a lot of overreaction to the first severe storm prediction of the season. It's Kansas. If it's gpoing to rain in March through July, there's a good possibility there will be something severe somewhere. It's also overwhelmingly likely that something sever will be in some rural area where the 6" tall wheat plants won't be damaged by the wind.

It's a little like the first forecast of snow and bad driving conditions. At least 90% of the time, that danger warnhing from the forecasters turns out to be nothing more than a few minutes when it's tough to keep the snow off your windshield.

[Shocker85]

In OKC we got overreaction^2.

Everyone was sent home from work about 3pm. Public schools sent the kiddos home early and TV coverage started at 4 or so on all 3 network stations. They had their spotters fanned out across the entire state. No "The Voice" or "NCIS" or any other network programs tonight.

It sprinkled for the first time around 8pm. Gust front finally came through shortly before 10pm with a couple of down busts or little gust-nados. OMG, it was Armageddon.

They are still hyper-sensitive here after 2013 and most people still don't have shelters. Their strategy is to outrun the storms.

SMH. Okies.

[DUShock]

Early notification or severe weather potential is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of thing. If the NWS knows there is a high probability of large hail and tornadoes and does nothing until the storm develops, people will be upset they were not given enough notification, especially knowing of the potential several days out.

I believe in knowing the potential and adjusting my plans according to each circumstance.

I say this having previously received baseball, softball, grapefruit hail at my home and knowing a person who had basketball sized hail crash through the roof of their home. They only live 2 or so miles away from my home.

[AG1219]

Early notification or severe weather potential is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of thing. If the NWS knows there is a high probability of large hail and tornadoes and does nothing until the storm develops, people will be upset they were not given enough notification, especially knowing of the potential several days out.

I believe in knowing the potential and adjusting my plans according to each circumstance.

I say this having previously received baseball, softball, grapefruit hail at my home and knowing a person who had basketball sized hail crash through the roof of their home. They only live 2 or so miles away from my home.

Basketball??? That would be about two inches bigger than the largest hailstone in Kansas history.

[DUShock]

Basketball??? That would be about two inches bigger than the largest hailstone in Kansas history.

Women's basketball in far west Wichita, I believe it was the September 2010 storm. We had baseball with an occasional grapefruit size during that storm at 183 & Maple area. It was extensively covered on the local news at the time.

Edit: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display...58231&source=0

Edit: http://www.weather.gov/ict/event_2010gianthail

[WstateU]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KnnHprUGKF0

[SB Shock]

I thought there was a lot of overreaction to the first severe storm prediction of the season. It's Kansas.

I think it happened because:

1. NWS prefers to error on the side of caution.

2. Local government/schools prefer to error on the side of caution.

3. Local media loves to HYPE ANYTHING WEATHER, because it is ratings.

Anybody who was following the prediction evolution could see the SPC was dialing back on expectations because it was clear that not everything was lining up for high end breakout, they just knew there was going to be a lot of hail and possibly a few tornadoes. But the media never brought down their hype - which is where most get their weather.

I had somebody yesterday ask me why they were not issuing a tornado watch early - at that time their environment was 0 for possibility for tornadoes.

The other thing thing I saw was these storms were not that far off from having a environment for having a wider spread outbreak, but there was something missing. My hypothesis is there was shear at certain level that help attenuate the storm ability to rotate and seemed to rip the structure apart.

Also the early initiation probably helped minimize the threat in OK and KS

[SHOCKvalue]

I think it happened because:

2. Local government/schools prefer to error on the side of caution.

The schools didn't err on the side of caution yesterday. Not. Even. Close.

While almost every other segment in our economy saw fit to make accommodations for the weather potential yesterday (employers sending people home early, McConnell moving their aircraft hundreds of miles away, colleges and universities shutting down and closing campuses), the geniuses in public education went on with business as usual yesterday. This in spite of the fact that the weather was anticipated to get dangerous at quite literally the time school was getting out, sending kids out into the weather via foot, bicycle, bus, or car. This in a year when all weather contingency days were still available. FFS there was a supercell with confirmed rotation 5 miles outside of the city limits at 3:30.

Let's have a round of applause for the mental midgets in charge of such decisions in the various area schools. The fact that our local media didn't pick up on this massive display of stupidity is a narrative on the quality of the overall Wichita media community. You can be guaranteed a big group of overpaid slugs breathed a huge sigh of relief that no one picked up on their decision.