Severe weather 5/26/15

[EF-5bigj]

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html The last few days have been very active in Kansas with numerous tornadoes and one long-track,violent tornado recently but Thursday could be very active also.

[EF-5bigj]

A string of tornado watches are now over the Great Plains.

[Bunkertor]

This is looking ominous ( crazys words )

[Tireman4]

Yeah Bunk...agreed....

000
FXUS63 KTOP 261748
AFDTOP

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Topeka KS
1248 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016

...Update to aviation forecast discussion...

.SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight)
Issued at 355 AM CDT THU MAY 26 2016

Early Thursday morning, elevated thunderstorms continued to develop
and slowly shift east over far eastern parts of the area. This
activity will continue to move east over the next few hours and out
of the forecast area. At the surface, an outflow boundary from
earlier convection extended from near McPherson east to the far
southern parts of Lyon, Coffey, and Anderson counties, and seemed to
be stalling its southward progress at the 4 AM hour. A low level jet
was intersecting this outflow boundary, and seemed to be initiating
and fueling the storms over northeast KS. This LLJ may continue to
initiate storms over the next few hours mainly in northeast KS, but
this is a bit uncertain as the outflow may be too shallow to lift
parcels to their LFC now that it has spread out. Regardless, will
maintain chances across the area with the highest being in northeast
KS through mid morning.

Thursday presents yet another difficult and potentially high impact
forecast scenario. The remnant outflow boundary will be a key player
in all of this. On the large scale, a surface low was already
deepening early this morning over far SW Kansas. A short wave trough
will quickly move toward northeast KS and may enhance convection
north of the outflow this morning, but appears likely to provide
subsidence in its wake for late morning into early afternoon. The
next short wave is well forecast by models to follow and bring large
scale lift to the region by mid afternoon. A stronger short wave
trough then travels from SW Kansas to northeast KS through the
evening hours. The warm sector will encompass most if not all of the
forecast area aside from areas well north of the outflow. This warm
sector will be characterized by very strong instability and minimal
inhibition by early afternoon. Mid level winds will increase through
the day while low level wind fields increase and back as well,
leading to shear profiles favorable for supercells when combined
with the instability. Furthermore, the locally backed low level
winds and potential for the strong instability to be in close
proximity to the surface boundary suggest that tornadoes will once
again be possible...not only along the boundary where potential is
maximized but across the entire forecast area. Otherwise, very large
hail can again be expected as well as locally damaging winds
especially as storms merge and grow upscale. Do expect storm
coverage to increase quickly within the first 2 hours of development
which may eventually cause destructive interference and a slight
decrease in tornado potential, but with instability so strong, that
potential may remain even amidst messy storm structure especially
with any storms that can maintain a clean inflow.

Additional rounds of storms are likely to move northeast with the
approach of the additional short wave troughs through the evening.
It is more uncertain how much instability will remain for this
activity as it will move into air that has been convectively worked
over. However, shear profiles suggest continued severe threat well
into the evening, and if storms remain surface based, the tornado
threat will remain as well.

Right now, the greatest potential for tornadoes and very large hail
will be in the 3 PM to 8 PM window, with the conditional potential
to continue into the remainder of the evening hours. Damaging wind
potential may increase with time through the evening while hail will
remain a threat.

.LONG TERM...(Friday through Wednesday)
Issued at 355 AM CDT THU MAY 26 2016

The negatively tilted trough axis edges closest to northeast Kansas
by Friday afternoon. Moisture advection towards the sfc is not as
strong compared to previous days with dewpoints progged in the
middle 60s. Weaker winds around the sfc low also hinder effective
shear profiles in the late afternoon to around 30 kts up to 6 km
from the NAM and GFS. However with highs expected in the lower 80s,
ample amounts of CAPE (in excess of 3,000 J/KG) and minimal
inhibition will likely produce another round of scattered strong to
severe storms. With a less favorable setup, storms are closer to the
marginally severe side with large hail, damaging winds, and flooding
being the main concerns. Tornado potential is low.

First half of the weekend should be mostly dry and sunny as
subsidence builds in behind the departing wave. Higher confidence
with the models` consistency lead to trimming back precip chances to
slight. Highs near 80 degrees and lower dewpoints will lead to a
pleasant afternoon Saturday. Split flow pattern over the western
CONUS develops with the broad southwest trough coupled and a
shortwave trough shifting southeast towards the plains through early
next week. The warm and moist airmass in place creates ample
instability however shear profiles are pretty weak at around 20 kts
or less. Do not expect a complete washout, but it is likely to see
periodic rounds of showers and thunderstorms through next Wednesday.
Best chances at this time are on Sunday and Tuesday evenings when
stronger forcing aloft arrives from the northwest. Organized severe
weather is not apparent on a particular day, but given the ample
instability present, isolated severe storms capable of large hail
and damaging winds will be possible. Flooding is of greatest concern
given the forecast rainfall ranging from a few to several inches
through next week.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday Afternoon)
Issued at 1245 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016

Tricky forecast. Showers and thunderstorms may develop early this
afternoon with little cap in place. More organized thunderstorms
are expected to develop over central KS and move northeast during
afternoon into evening. There could be a couple rounds of strong
to severe thunderstorms during that time. Expect at least MVFR
conditions with the heavier thunderstorms, and then probably some
lower ceilings in the MVFR or IFR range after the rain is over.
Conditions may slowly improve Friday morning.

&&

.TOP Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NONE.
&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Barjenbruch
LONG TERM...Prieto
AVIATION...GDP

[RL3AO]

N OK and far Southern KS are the storms to watch over the next hour or two. Everything in the MDT area blew up at once and its very messy.

[EF-5bigj]

The main event hasn't happened but don't tell that to storm chasers already passing judgment because it's messy right now. Outbreaks can and do have multiple rounds.

[RL3AO]

I'm curious to see if central Kansas can recover a bit after the first round lifts north

[Bunkertor]

The energetic airmass is forcast to crawl forward into the panhandle. Should be due in 2 hours.

[EF-5bigj]

So the energy hasn't even made its way into the area's under watches.