Latest news with #WeatherPredictionCentre
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Central Texas on alert: Severe thunderstorm threat looms with flash flood risks tonight
People across central Texas, especially those in the Edwards Plateau and Hill Country need to be on high alert tonight. According to forecasters, there's a serious risk of flash flooding from slow-moving thunderstorms that are expected to drop heavy rain over the same areas for hours. Crews in central Texas are digging through massive piles of debris, overturned vehicles and shattered homes as the search continues for victims of flash floods that killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July weekend. Photographer: Eli Hartman/Bloomberg(Bloomberg) Weather experts tracking satellite data said a weather system, or 'vort center,' is slowly moving east through the Concho Valley and is set to reach the Hill Country overnight. This system is pulling in a lot of deep moisture from the south, especially in the mid-levels of the atmosphere. Moisture levels are high, with some areas showing values between 1.5 and 1.75 inches, enough to fuel intense storms, according to Weather Prediction Centre. Also Read: Who is Devyn Smith? 23-year-old survives deadly Texas flood that killed most of her family Atmosphere holding energy known as CAPE Meteorologists suggested that the atmosphere is holding an amount of energy, known as CAPE, anywhere from 1,500 to 2,500 J/kg, indicating storms that develop can reach very strong levels quite quickly. All of these factors in combination with a weak surface trough, a stalled front in the area, and increasing southerly flow at the surface will favor rounds of thunderstorms. As the system moves east and tightens up later tonight, forecasters expect storms to grow stronger and more organised. They will likely stretch from southwest to northeast across central Texas. On top of that, this area will be sitting in the 'right entrance' region of a high-level jet stream, which supports more rising air and storm growth. Rain could fall fast at rates between 2 to 4 inches an hour in the heaviest storms. Forecast models, including HRRR and HREF guidance, support these rates. As winds steering the storms will be weak and coming from just the right direction, storms may 'train' — meaning they pass repeatedly over the same spots. That raises the risk for serious flash flooding. 4 to 6 inches of rainfall By approximately 3 a.m. Central Time, parts of this area could see 4 to 6 inches of rainfall, with more expected into the early morning hours. This is hazardous, especially for anyone in flood-prone areas of the Hill Country, where flash flooding could become life-threatening later tonight.
Sky News
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Sky News
Seven killed as thunderstorms and tornadoes rip through US states
At least seven people have been killed after thunderstorms and tornadoes swept through several US states – with forecasters warning record rainfall could soon follow in some regions. A man and his teenage daughter, whose home was destroyed in western Tennessee, were among the dead, along with a man whose pickup truck struck downed powerlines in Indiana. Fatalities were also reported in Missouri as the first in a series of forecast storms ripped across the country on Wednesday and early Thursday. Thousands of properties have been left without power, with some homes also destroyed. Some debris was launched nearly five miles (8km) above the ground in Arkansas. In Lake City, Arkansas, a tornado took the roofs off homes, demolished brick walls and tossed cars into trees. Worse may be to come for parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the Weather Prediction Centre in Maryland said. A stretch of the Mississippi River around Memphis, where more than 1.3 million people live, is set to bear the brunt. In total, more than 90 million people have been at risk of severe weather – from Texas to Minnesota and Maine, according to the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Centre. Prolonged heavy rains are forecast for the central US, and will bring "significant, life-threatening flash flooding" each day, the National Weather Service warned. The sustained downpour could bring more than a foot (30cm) of rain over the next four days, described by the weather service as a "once in a generation to once in a lifetime" event. It warned that "historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible." The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was ready to distribute food, water, cots, generators, and meals. So many tornado warnings were issued in the Tennessee capital, Nashville, overnight that the batteries of some sirens in the city were drained, fire officials said. People were rescued from floodwater on Thursday in flooded parts of the city, which is braced for days of rain. Historic amounts of rain and flooding are also expected in western Kentucky in places that do not normally get overwhelmed by water, state governor Andy Beshear said. The forecasts have been especially worrying for people in rural areas of the state, where floodwaters can quickly rush off the mountains into the hollows. Less than four years ago, dozens died in flooding across eastern Kentucky. Warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming in from the Gulf are responsible for the conditions, forecasters said.
