John Homenuk

PM Update: Wonderful Wednesday on the way

/0 Comments/by

A pleasant Tuesday, which featured lower dew points and comfortable temperatures in the mid 70’s — as well as a light northwest breeze and plenty of sun — will give way to a gorgeous evening and overnight period. Wednesday will be a hint warmer, with calm winds that will quietly shift from northwest to southwest. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more comfortable two day stretch in the first week of June!

Tonight: Clear, with low temperatures in the mid 50’s. A bit cooler near the shore and away from the city. Light north winds between 5 and 10 miles per hour, so crack a window and give the air conditioning a break tonight.

Wednesday: It doesn’t get much better than this. Mostly sunny with highs in the mid to upper 70’s in the city, a hair cooler near the beaches and inland. North winds will flip to south-southwest by afternoon. Just a few clouds after noon.

Tropical moisture may mean a wet weekend: Forecast models have been persistent in showing the potential for widespread clouds, showers and a period of moderate to heavy rain this weekend. A tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico may eventually weaken and head up the East Coast while being scooped up by a progressive trough. The result would be a weak low pressure system tracking near the East Coast. Unsettled weather looks likely from late Thursday into Saturday, but the amount of rain remains in question.

NAM model showing precipitatable water values approaching 2.0 this weekend as tropical moisture surges up the East Coast.

NAM model showing precipitatable water values approaching 2.0 this weekend as tropical moisture surges up the East Coast.

El Reno tornado becomes widest ever recorded: Our article from earlier today detailed the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado which today was upgraded to an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado featured winds of 296 miles per hour (as measured by mobile doppler radar) and was 2.6 miles wide — a new record.

Be sure to follow our social media accounts on both Facebook and Twitter for up to the minute information and interaction.

 

El Reno, OK tornado becomes widest ever

/0 Comments/by

The National Weather Service has confirmed, after a damage survey, that the tornado which struck El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was an EF5 with radar measured winds of 296 miles per hour. Most notably, the tornado reached a maximum width of 2.6 miles, making it the widest tornado ever measured on earth. The wind speeds nearly set a record as well, falling just shy of the strongest winds recorded in a tornado (301 mph, Moore OK tornado in 1999 still maintains the record).

Initially rated an EF-3 on the new Enhanced Fujita Scale, which rates tornadoes from EF0 to EF5, the tornado was upgraded after mobile doppler radar data showed the intense wind speeds of near 300 miles per hour. The winds were measured on mobile doppler radars from two graduate students traveling with the University of Oklahoma. Tornado researcher Howard Bluestein, a professor at the University of Oklahoma put it simply when he said “This is the biggest ever” of the tornado.

Animation of radar data, captured every minute, from Phased Array Radar. Courtesy of Robin Tanamachi.

Four storm chasers were killed in the same tornado, which will certainly become one of the most historic ever for a multitude of reasons. Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, Carl Young, and Charles Henderson were killed while chasing the storm. Recently, high resolution radar imagery reveals an incredibly impressive structure while the tornado was on the ground, and a debris ball indicated — which takes a dramatic, sharp and sudden turn to the north to a point near where the four chasers were positioned.

For more information on the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado we suggest visiting the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma as well as other local news sources.

Cooler, pleasant weather behind cold front

/0 Comments/by

The warm and humid airmass from this past weekend is a distant memory this afternoon, as cooler air with lower dew points has settled into the area. A refreshing northwest breeze will continue for the remainder of the day with high temperatures around average in the mid 70’s. The trend is expected to continue through the middle of the week, with more sun and slightly warmer temperatures on Wednesday — but not hot or humid at all.

Not all of the news is good, however. The forecast takes a bit of an unsettled turn by late Thursday and Friday and may become quite ugly by the weekend as a tropical moisture feed extends up the East Coast of the United States. Forecast models are showing a trough sinking through the Ohio Valley and Northeast by the weekend, with showers becoming likely with periods of heavy rain also a possibility if a weak surface low pressure system can form offshore.

We’ll keep a close eye on it as the week goes on, but for now enjoy the beautiful weather! Remember to check our social media accounts for frequent updates.

PM Update: Scattered storms, unsettled Monday

/0 Comments/by

After a weekend of heat (temperatures over 90 degrees since last Thursday in many locations), scattered showers and thunderstorms have developed this evening throughout the area. The main organized severe weather threat remained to our north, over New England, where better shear allowed for more widespread organized severe thunderstorms. Despite plenty of sun and instability in our area, storms have had trouble developing and becoming organized. Forecast models, however, are insistent that storms — and areas of steady rain — will develop from Sunday evening through Monday as the front slows near the area.

The unsettled weather, with showers and clouds, is expected to continue into Monday as the warm and humid airmass gets washed away. The news is not all bad, however — after the front passes Monday evening, a seasonal airmass will move into the area. This will bring with it the return of highs in the mid 70’s and lower humidity with pleasant weather in the forecast through the upcoming work week.

Things will gradually warm up again by the end of the week, with warm air advection bringing a chance of some showers into the forecast as well. Stay tuned for more updates and details as the week moves along. Have a great Sunday evening!