Not all supercells are raging, massively wide purveyors of swaths of devastation from hail, wind and/or tornadoes. Sometimes thunderstorms form in favorable shear but marginal buoyancy, giving them a soft and barely-there appearance, but because they still fall within the right range of deep shear, and/or propagare down a boundary (as this one did—outflow from earlier storms) they rotate. Duly … [Read more...]
Charge in Retreat
On the rear side of an eastward-retreating thunderstorm complex, sparks still flew aplenty, with lengthy and reverberating peals of thunder in response. Meanwhile both city light and the flashing aloft illuminated a cellular transmitter and rusty water tower near the OU campus in Norman. Norman OK (29 Mar 25) Looking ENE 35.2015, -97.4416 … [Read more...]
Fine Evening on Railay Beach
Low tide, a young crescent moon, and sunset-splashed twilight surrounded a massive limestone stack on this southern Thailand beach, accessible only by boat or strenuous hike. I chose “boat.” Different vibes cover the tropics, my kind: peaceful, easy and present, smooth and warm as the moist sea breezes of low latitudes. Jimmy Buffett had that much right, but it’s better experienced and enjoyed … [Read more...]
Snowy Night Light
Four inches of wet snow fell in a northeast wind, coating that side of some of the trees, while providing a fitting backdrop for Christmas lights that I still had up in a few of our trees. In these parts, most snow occurs with winds from the east, northeast or north, as those directions signal neutral to cold advection near the surface, north of a front, with warm (and moist) advection common … [Read more...]
Malay Thai Pyrocumulus
This humble aerial peek into a hazy tropical boundary layer offers a ton of meteorology to ponder. Flying northward over the western Gulf of Thailand, the westernmost arm of the Pacific, the first thing attracting attention could be the plume of smoke and cumuliform cloud material, shearing northward from a fire just inland from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The pyro plume somewhat … [Read more...]
Summit Sunrise
Sometimes, sleep trouble turns beneficial. For the second time this cool season, I was awake unexpectedly early at a conference hotel, witnessing something seldom seen in my normal circadian skew: sunrise. It was a grand one, too, and a blessing to behold. What a splendid way to kick off the National Storm Chaser Summit, at which I was a speaker this year! Overland Park KS (14 Feb 25) Looking … [Read more...]
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