Latest news with #Cappucci
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dangerous heat bursts have been spiking temperatures across the US as people sleep. So what are they?
An intense burst of heat hit southwestern Oklahoma on Sunday, sending temperatures spiking into the high 90s. In the city of Chickasha, which is located approximately 40 minutes from Oklahoma City, the weather event occurred in the early morning hours. 'Several hit southwest Oklahoma this morning. An intense burst of extreme heat hit Chickasha, Oklahoma at 5:15 a.m. Sunday morning, bringing the temperature to 95.6 degrees!' meteorologist and atmospheric scientist Matthew Cappucci wrote on the social media platform X. But, what are heat bursts and how do they form? Here's what you should know. Heat bursts are localized and sudden increases of temperature that are associated with a thunderstorm. The relatively rare atmospheric nighttime events are often accompanied by 'extreme drying,' according to the American Meteorological Society Glossary of Meteorology. They're also characterized by gusty winds. 'Chickasaw went from 77 degrees and 80 percent relative humidity to 95.6 degrees and just 17 PERCENT humidity!' Cappucci noted. 'Chickasaw also gusted to 59 mph! Medicine Park, Oklahoma warmed to 81.2 degrees and gusted to 69 mph. Altus got to 89 degrees shortly after 2 a.m.' Heat bursts need a dissipating thunderstorm or shower and a hot and dry midlevel atmospheric environment to form, according to National Weather Service forecasters. The midlevel atmosphere is around 20,000 feet above the Earth's surface. Thunderstorms develop when moist and unstable air is pushed upward, and rain then falls from the storm. When the storm loses that upward moving current of air, it is dominated by a downward moving current of air. Along with the combination of a hot and dry midlevel atmospheric environment, the downward current's moisture evaporates and cools the midlevel atmospheric layer, increasing its rate of descent toward the ground. The descending air will stop cooling when all the moisture has evaporated, warming the midlevel layer. The heat burst occurs when the warm and dry air descends to the surface. 'As air sinks, it warms up (and dries out). And if you have an air pocket coming from high enough, it warms up a LOT by the time it reaches the surface. It also brings strong dry winds – like a desert hurricane,' Cappucci noted. Heat bursts typically occur in the spring and summer, when thunderstorm activity is associated with daytime heating. While thunderstorms dissipate during the evening as they lose their main source of energy, heat bursts occur in the evening or overnight hours. They can occur in many regions, but are most common in the Midwest and Plains states. However, they have previously occurred outside of that range. A significant weather event in 2012 brought one to Georgetown County, South Carolina. They've also struck the Southwest. Climate change is making heat events more frequent and severe. The rapid increase in surface temperatures - sometimes occurring in less than an hour and leading to a triple-digit high - can take residents by surprise. So can the associated winds, have been known to exceed 70 or 80 mph. They can rip the roofs off buildings and damage trees. In Chickasha, they knocked out the power for more than 2,000 residents in Grady and Caddo counties, according KOCO 5.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Texas Thunderstorm Hits 70,000 Feet Tall: 'Unreal'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Texas thunderstorm hit 70,000 feet tall on Wednesday morning, roughly twice the height where commercial jets fly. Why It Matters The thunderstorm comes amid a series of severe storms that have moved through Texas this week. Numerous tornado warnings were issued on Tuesday, although most storm-related warnings have expired, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). What To Know MyRadarX senior meteorologist Matthew Cappucci shared a radar clip of the storm to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. "UNREAL. This thunderstorm over far south Texas on Wednesday morning is 70,000 FEET TALL," Cappucci posted with the clip. "It has officially surpassed the end of our color scale at @MyRadarWX. That makes it roughly TWICE the height that normal commercial jets operate at; likely a mile plus into stratosphere." UNREAL. This thunderstorm over far south Texas on Wednesday morning is 70,000 FEET TALL. It has officially surpassed the end of our color scale at @MyRadarWX. That makes it roughly TWICE the height that normal commercial jets operate at; likely a mile plus into stratosphere. — Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) May 7, 2025 Cappucci went on to add that the height of the storm could produce cantaloupe-sized hail. However, nearby storms started to merge, disrupting the large thunderstorm from producing that size of hail. "Instead, it probably dropped baseballs or larger over Nuevo León and Tamaulipas in Mexico, and now is set to drop 2 inch hail on parts of Zapata County, Texas, including Escobas, San Ygnacio, Las Palmas, and Bustamante," Cappucci posted. Exceptionally tall thunderstorms are more common in warm, moist environments, such as across the Southern Plains, Gulf Coast and into Florida. They are capable of heavy rain, strong winds and hail. Although most severe weather alerts have expired, the NWS office in Brownsville in South Texas warned that a marginal risk of severe weather is in place for parts of its forecast region Wednesday evening. A stock photo of a large storm in Texas. A stock photo of a large storm in Texas. Minerva Studio/Getty What People Are Saying NWS Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Scott Kleebauer told Newsweek: "Thunderstorms can come in all kinds of need a lot of moisture and instability in order to have thunderstorms that can have really high cloud tops. During summertime, it's not unusual for storms to reach 50,000 feet pretty easily, especially across the Southern U.S.; 70,000-foot tops are actually pretty rare, but we do see them on occasion during the year." NWS Brownsville, on X: "There remains a Marginal Risk [level 1 of 5] of severe weather for the northern half of the northern ranchlands for this afternoon through tonight. The primary threats will be winds around 58 mph or greater and large hail." What Happens Next More rain is expected to hit South Texas later this week. Showers and thunderstorms are expected on Thursday and Friday, NWS Brownsville said on X. Following the storms, "pleasant weather" is expected.
