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Extreme Fire Weather Concerns for the Western U.S.; Severe Weather and Flooding Threats for the Central U.S.

Extremely critical fire weather conditions are expected to develop across the Great Basin and Southwest today, and exceptionally dry and windy conditions will promote rapid wildfire spread through the weekend. Scattered severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible across parts of the Ozark Plateau into lower Ohio Valley and parts of the northern Rockies into adjacent Great Plains. Read More >

Overview

    An easterly flow of moist, unstable air was in place across the High Plains. Easterly flow brought this instability to the foothills of the Rockies where numerous thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and early evening. Winds aloft where out of the west in excess of 60 mph, creating strong wind shear needed for severe thunderstorms to develop. Several rotating storms called supercells formed in eastern Colorado causing baseball size hail, at least 1 tornado and a measured 97 mph wind gust at the Burlington airport. The image below is a visible satellite image taken at 201 PM MDT. If you look close you can see an area of developing cumulus over the Goodland area that would represent the area of strongest instability, where the strongest storms eventually moved along.

 

Satellite Image and surface MSLP and observations 201 PM MDT 6/8/24 (click to enlarge)
2 PM MDT GOES East Visible Imagery, MSLP and surface obs. Image from College of Dupage
 
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