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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Watch Issued as Severe Threat Continues Memorial Day in the South Following Saturday's Outbreak

May 29,2017
More severe thunderstorms are possible in parts of the East and South through Memorial Day evening after one of the most expansive severe outbreaks of 2017 on Saturday.
(MORE: Tornado Central | Your Latest Interactive Radar Loop)
While not as dangerous, nor expansive of a threat as we saw Saturday, we are expecting some severe thunderstorms to wrap up the holiday weekend.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe thunderstorm watch valid until 9 p.m. EDT for portions of central and northeast Georgia, south-central North Carolina and much of South Carolina. This watch area includes Augusta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Current Radar, Watches and Warnings

We have highlights of some of the most noteworthy severe reports of the past several days in our recap section below.
Let's lay out the forecast.

Through Memorial Day Evening

Where: A few strong to severe thunderstorms may develop from the Texas Gulf Coast to parts of the Carolinas.
Threats: Damaging wind gusts will be the main concern, but an isolated tornado and local flash flooding are also possible.
Cities: Houston | Atlanta | Charlotte

(INTERACTIVE: Your 7-Day Severe Weather Outlook)

Thunderstorm Outlook Through Monday Evening

Flash flooding will also be a concern through Monday evening. Where bands or clusters of thunderstorms stall, 1 to 3 inches of rain may fall in the span of an hour or two, triggering local flash flooding in parts of the South and Northeast.

Storm Reports So Far

Sunday, May 28

Severe storms on Sunday produced a combination of funnel clouds, damaging wind gusts, large hail and flooding rain in parts of northern Indiana, northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and southwestern New York.
The funnel cloud pictured in the tweet below was seen in North Manchester, Indiana, Sunday afternoon. This is roughly 35 miles west of Fort Wayne. No tornado touchdowns have been reported, however.
In Erie County, Pennsylvania, and Chautauqua County, New York, 2-inch diameter hail was reported Sunday evening.
Basements were flooded near Madera, Pennsylvania, and a road was closed and possibly washed out south of Clearfield, Pennsylvania.
Additionally, hail up to 3 inches in diameter was reported in Edwards County, Texas, Sunday afternoon, along with various instances of wind damage in other parts of south Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi into Sunday evening.
An impressive cluster of severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 60 mph and flooding rain in the Corpus Christi metro area, as well.

Saturday, May 27

Over 570 reports of severe weather were received by National Weather Service offices Saturday and Saturday night, from southeast Colorado and northeast New Mexico to Virginia and North Carolina.
This was the second largest number of reports for any 24-hour period so far in 2017, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
(NEWS: Latest Storm Damage, Impacts)

Preliminary severe weather reports from May 27, 2017. Note some thunderstorm wind damage reports may eventually be confirmed as tornadoes in subsequent NWS damage surveys.
(NOAA/NWS/SPC)

Here are the state-by-state highlights of Saturday's severe weather outbreak.
Missouri:
Trees have been downed by straight-line winds according to numerous reports dotting central Missouri from Kansas City to Missouri's bootheel. Many powerlines were snapped. Tree damage was also reported in St. Louis.
More than 200 accounts of wind and hail damage were reported in a series of severe thunderstorms and squall lines.
An 80 mph wind gust was recorded in Salem, Missouri late Saturday afternoon as a squall line intensified.
A 72 mph wind gust was reported near Osage Beach, which is 40 miles southwest of Jefferson City, Missouri. A radar-confirmed tornado skipped along the ground through Laclede County, Missouri. Damage was confirmed by emergency managers near Phillipsburg or southwest of Lebanon. Radar also confirmed the presence of a tornado near Falcon.
Early Saturday afternoon softball size hail was reported near Adrian and Ballard, Missouri.

Illinois
55-70 mph gusts were reported east of Carbondale in southern Illinois.
Kentucky
As a squall line drove through western Kentucky, numerous trees were snapped or uprooted across western and central portions of the state. Winds gusted as high as 70 mph.
One unoccupied house was blown off its foundation in Cerulean, Kentucky. Golf ball size hail was also reported in Cerulean.
A flash flood emergency was declared in Taylor and Casey counties. In Campbellsville, three water rescues were successful, but numerous roads were closed. Even a mudslide was reported.
Lightning struck a tree and dropped it into a house in Clay City.
Oklahoma
Supercell thunderstorms popped during the evening hours, providing hail for communities in eastern and southern Oklahoma. Lone Grove, Oklahoma saw hail as large as tennis balls.
Sulphur, Oklahoma reported hail 2.25 inches in diameter.
In the Oklahoma panhandle, baseball-size hail broke numerous windows and lead to other property damage in the town of Hooker.
Tennessee
The Memphis metro area took it on the chin. Wind gusts up to 69 mph blew a satellite dish off the roof of the city's emergency management office and overturned a semi on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge crossing the Mississippi River.
Numerous trees were downed by high winds in several Tennessee Counties. Cars were crushed by fallen trees in the Knoxville metro area. Windows were also blown out and a chimney was blown off one Knox County home.
Virginia
Richmond, Virginia received hail as large as eggs, and much of central Virginia saw scattered severe storms including damaging hail up to golf ball sized.

Friday, May 26

One batch of thunderstorms produced hail as large as 2.50 inches in diameter or the size of baseballs in central Illinois Friday afternoon and evening.
Vermilion County, Illinois was especially hard hit. A wind gust up to 70 mph was recorded near Bismarck, possibly to a tornado. Windshields in Hoopeston were broken by two inch or greater hail stones.
Numerous trees were downed or snapped according to reports in west-central Indiana. Several homes and cars were damaged by falling tree branches.
Wind-blown hail near Pine Bluffs, Wyoming was forceful enough to strip trees and mow down wheatfields.
Hail slightly larger than eggs fell near El Paso, Colorado on Friday evening.
Multiple brief tornadoes were seen in southern Wyoming and eastern Colorado, but no damage was reported.

MORE: Severe Weather, Flooding Hits the Southeast

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

Tropical Development in the Western Gulf of Mexico This Weekend? One Threat Looms Regardless

Jon Erdman
Published: May 30,2017
As the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season officially gets underway, we have our eyes on an area of the western Gulf of Mexico which may see a tropical depression or storm form by this weekend or early next week.
The threat of rainfall flooding will be in play, regardless of development, along parts of the Gulf Coast into next week.
For now, there's a broad area of surface low pressure, known as a trough, oriented roughly north-to-south over the western Gulf, along which a few clusters of thunderstorms are flaring periodically.
(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Current Infrared Satellite Image, Surface Pressure and Winds

One such those cluster is already producing heavy rain and localized flash flooding near the northern Gulf Coast.
(INTERACTIVE: Your Local Radar Loop)

Origin points of June named storms in the Atlantic basin from 1950 through 2016.

Current Satellite and Wind Shear

Will Something Develop?

As a matter of principle, clusters of convection over the Gulf of Mexico in or near hurricane season always should draw a meteorologist's attention.
While the number of June named storms is small – typically only one named storm every 1 to 2 years – the large majority of June tropical storms and hurricanes since 1950 have formed in the Gulf of Mexico, often on the tail end of old surface fronts or troughs.
Over the years, the Gulf of Mexico has provided several examples of tropical storms, even hurricanes, that developed quickly.
One of these was Allison in early June 2001, which produced historic, billion-dollar flooding in the Houston metro area.
In this case, though, there are two negative factors that may work against a tropical depression or storm's formation:
1. Wind shear – the difference in wind speed and direction with height – is already high and isn't expected to slacken much. This may not allow thunderstorms to persist near the aforementioned surface trough long enough to begin the process of tropical depression formation.
2. Water temperatures in the northwestern and northern Gulf of Mexico are actually a bit cooler than average for this time of year. This may cut down slightly on instability to continue to fuel thunderstorms near any prospective areas of low pressure in that part of the Gulf.
Therefore, the chance of development of a depression or storm appears to be low, for now. The next name on the Atlantic list is "Bret." Just over a month ago, "Arlene" was only the second April Atlantic tropical storm in the satellite era.
(MORE: 2017 Hurricane Season Outlook)

One Threat, Regardless of Development

Despite the low chance of a tropical depression or storm, the overall atmospheric setup into at least the first half of next week poses a threat of heavy rain and flash flooding.
(MAPS: 7-Day U.S. Daily Forecast | 48-Hour Rainfall Forecast)

The ingredients for heavy rainfall starting late this week.

A slow-moving upper-level disturbance will lazily glide east from Texas this weekend across the northern Gulf Coast states next week.
Ahead of this feature, deep tropical moisture will be drawn northward and northeastward into the Deep South and northern Gulf Coast.
Given this slow-moving pattern, there's a potential for repeated rounds of locally heavy rainfall from the upper Texas coast to possibly as far east as parts of Florida into next week.
With the ground already saturated over much of the zone, the threat of flash flooding is high.
(MORE: Flooding Nearly Three Times Deadlier in 2015-2016)
While the weather pattern isn't the same this time, remember the multi-billion dollar flood event in Louisiana last August wasn't officially accompanied by even a tropical depression.

MORE: Atlantic Basin's Retired Hurricane and Tropical Storm Names

Storms Injure More Than a Dozen in Sampson County, North Carolina

May 30,2017
More than a dozen people were injured Monday after storms struck eastern North Carolina.
According to the Associated Press, Sampson County assistant manager Susan Holder told local news outlets 14 people were injured by the storms. At least three of those were taken to area hospitals, Holder added. None of the injuries were serious.
Duke Energy reported about 1,800 customers without service Tuesday morning after trees and power lines were downed by winds, with roughly 1,000 of those outages located in Sampson County.
(MORE: Death Toll Skyrockets in Sri Lanka After Flooding, Mudslides)
There were more than a dozen reports of flipped homes in the area, Holden said, and several hog and poultry farm houses were destroyed.
Road closures in the area prompted school officials in Sampson County and the city of Clinton to open schools two hours later Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service said it will send a team to Sampson County on Tuesday to determine if the damage came from a tornado or straight-line winds.
MORE: Tropical Depression Eight – North Carolina, August 2016

Storms Kill At Least 11 Near Moscow; 60,000 Evacuated

Eric Chaney
Published: May 30,2017
At least 11 people have been killed after strong thunderstorms and high winds buffeted Moscow and surrounding areas on Monday.
"Winds gusted as high as 70 mph during the storm, which is rare for Moscow," said weather.com meteorologist Brian Donegan. "Some hail was also reported along with torrential rain."
Russian officials told the Associated Press that most of the fatalities were caused by falling trees. According to the Guardian, 13 people have died as a result of the storms.
“Due to storm winds hitting Moscow, 50 people have asked for medical attention up to now,” a spokesperson for the City Hall’s health department told AFP, the Guardian reports. “Eleven were fatally injured.”
Two more deaths were reported when the investigative committee of the Moscow region said an 11-year-old girl and a 57-year-old man were killed, one by a falling tree and the other by a flying fence, the Guardian says.
Russian television stations showed metal fences, garages and even a construction crane toppled by winds around the capital, where about 3,500 trees were destroyed, the AP reports. The gusts damaged dozens of cars and disrupted train service and electricity supplies in some areas. Flights at Moscow's airports were delayed. A top emergency official said that 60,000 people in Russia's Stavropol region are being evacuated due to the threat of flooding.
The Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, expressed condolences for those who died, the Guardian reported. “Several hundred trees were felled,” he wrote on his official Twitter. “We are taking necessary measures to deal with the consequences.”
MORE: Atlantic Basin Retired Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

Tropical Cyclone Mora Makes Landfall in Bangladesh; Flooding Rainfall Moves Inland

Jon Erdman
Published: May 30,2017
Tropical Cyclone Mora crashed ashore in Bangladesh with storm surge flooding, high winds, and heavy rainfall along a coast historically vulnerable to deadly storm surge.
(MORE: Hurricane Central)
Mora made landfall along the southeast coast of Bangladesh near Kutubdia Island between Chittagong, the country's second largest city with a metro area population of roughly 4 million, and Cox's Bazar between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 30, according to the India Meteorological Department.
At the time of landfall, Mora was classified as a "severe cyclonic storm" by the IMD, with estimated sustained winds of roughly 65-70 mph, the equivalent of a strong tropical storm.
The last advisory from the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center prior to landfall estimated Mora had sustained winds of 75 mph, the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane.
(NEWS: Mora Turns Deadly; Thousands of Homes Destroyed)
The BMD warned of a storm surge of 4 to 5 feet above normal tide levels as the center of Mora approached, piling water from the Bay of Bengal into the above coastal districts.

Potential storm surge flooding from Tropical Cyclone Mora in southeast Bangladesh indicated by aqua-colored arrows.

A peak wind gust to 52 mph was clocked at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong as the center passed. Teknaf, in the far southeast of Bangladesh, clocked a 45 mph wind before the reporting station went offline.

Cox's Bazar had already picked up 3.66 inches (93 millimeters) of rain from May 29-30 from Mora. Just over 2.5 inches of rain (64.4 millimeters) fell in Chittagong. Fortunately, Mora was moving fairly swiftly inland after landfall, limiting to some extent the rainfall totals near its landfall.
Despite that, heavy rainfall was expected along, north and to the east of the track over eastern Bangladesh, northeast India and western Myanmar, extending northward to the foothills of the Himalayas.

Bangladeshis push a cartload of belongings and walk homewards after spending a night at a shelter in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Tuesday, May 30,2017. A tropical cyclone lashed southern Bangladesh, destroying hundreds of poorly built homes in some.
(AP Photo)

This heavy rainfall extending well inland could trigger life-threatening flooding and, in mountainous areas, mudslides.
(MORE: Heavy Rain Triggers Deadly Sri Lanka Landslides)
Bay of Bengal tropical cyclones have a notoriously deadly history.
As meteorologist Chris Dolce laid out in a previous article, the northern Bay of Bengal is one of the most storm-surge-prone coastlines in the world due to a combination of dense population, very flat terrain near the coast, the narrowing of the bay on its northern edge, the shallow bathymetry of the bay and numerous small inlets.
Of the 12 tropical cyclones on record that have claimed at least 100,000 lives, eight of those formed in the Bay of Bengal, according to Weather Underground.
One of these, the infamous Great Bhola Cyclone, killed at least 300,000 in November 1970, the world's deadliest tropical cyclone of record.
In more recent times, Cyclone Nargis in 2008 devasted the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar, claiming at least 130,000 lives.
(MORE: Which Countries Get Hit Most by Tropical Cyclones?)
Less intense storms have also been very deadly in the region.
In 2015, a tropical storm-strength cyclone, Cyclone Komen, hovered near the coast of Bangladesh and brought flooding rain to six countries that killed nearly 500 people. Cyclone Komen made weeks of heavy rainfall even worse as landslides occurred in Myanmar, and more than a million people were evacuated or displaced from Myanmar alone.

MORE: Bay of Bengal's Deadly Cyclones

4 Things to Watch in This Week's Weather

Brian Donegan
Published: May 30,2017
The nation's weather this week will feature more stubborn rain and thunderstorms in a few rain-weary areas, along with spreading heat and the kickoff of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Let's go in depth on the four things to watch as May comes to a close and June kicks off this week.

1. Southern Soaking

Similar to last week, showers and thunderstorms will target portions of the South for much of this week. A few of the storms may become severe, but an outbreak of severe weather is currently unexpected.
The most persistent and heaviest downpours will likely set up over parts of Texas and Louisiana, though areas as far east as Georgia could also see some occasional thunderstorms.
(MAPS: 7-Day Forecast Highs and Weather)

South Outlook

A broad swath of 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected from Texas to southwestern Alabama through Thursday, but a few places may see greater than 3 inches. The best chance of 3-plus-inch rainfall totals will be in south-central and southeast Texas and in parts of southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
Flash flooding will become an increasing possibility in this zone, particularly where thunderstorm clusters stall or move too slowly over any one area.

2. Northeast: Still Wet

The Northeast will be unsettled for much of the week ahead as multiple disturbances push through the region.
(MORE: Eastern May Rain Fatigue; Any Break Ahead in June?)
The next disturbance will bring another round of showers and storms Tuesday as many people head back to work and school after the long weekend.
Yet another disturbance will push through the Northeast on Wednesday, continuing the threat for scattered showers or a thunderstorm.

Northeast Outlook

Thursday should be dry across the region before the next cold front arrives Friday with more showers and storms. This weekend, the best chance of dry weather will be generally in northern New York and New England as the frontal system may stall out, keeping a risk for showers and storms into the weekend in towards the mid-Atlantic states.
(MAPS: 7-Day U.S. Rain Forecast)

3. Heat Spreads

Well-above-average warmth will spread east this week from the Northwest and Great Basin to the northern Rockies and northern Plains.
The Pacific Northwest will cool down Tuesday, but the very warm temperatures will continue in the interior Northwest and Great Basin, expanding into the northern Rockies. Temperatures are expected to be above average by 10 to 20 degrees in these areas Tuesday, indicating highs mainly in the 80s with a few lower 90s possible.
(MORE: 10-Day Forecast High/Low Temperatures)

Forecast Highs

The Great Basin and northern Rockies will continue to be well above average Wednesday with most locations seeing highs in the 80s.
Warmth will expand into the northern Plains on Thursday as temperatures reach levels 10 to 20 degrees above average. This means many areas will experience highs in the mid-to-upper 80s. Some 90s are likely in parts of the northern High Plains.
Lows will generally be 5 to 15 degrees above average as the warmth engulfs these regions, which indicates overnight temperatures mainly in the 50s.

4. Hurricane Season Begins

The official Atlantic hurricane season begins this Thursday, June 1, and runs through Nov. 30.
Occasionally, storms can form outside those months as happened this year with Tropical Storm Arlene, which formed in April. This also occurred last season with January's Hurricane Alex and late May's Tropical Storm Bonnie.
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to be more active than historical averages with regards to the number of named storms and hurricanes, according to forecasts released by The Weather Company, an IBM Business, Colorado State University and NOAA.
(MORE: Above-Average 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season Expected)

Number of Atlantic basin named storms (those that attain at least tropical storm strength), hurricanes and hurricanes of Cat. 3 intensity forecast by The Weather Company, an IBM business, Colorado State University and NOAA, compared to 30-year average.

The 30-year historical average (1981-2010) for the Atlantic basin is 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. A major hurricane is one that is Category 3 or stronger on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

MORE: Severe Weather - May 27, 2017

Tropical Cyclone Mora Makes Landfall in Bangladesh; 3 Killed, Thousands of Homes Destroyed

Eric Chaney and Pam Wright
Published: May 30,2017
Three people died and thousands of homes on some remote islands were destroyed after Tropical Cyclone Mora made landfall Tuesday.
"Mora made landfall in Bangladesh early Tuesday morning local time as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane," weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce said.
According to the Associated Press, Ali Hossain, the chief government administrator for the district of Cox's Bazar, said two women and a man died after the storm made landfall. Two of them died when trees fell on their homes, he said.

(MORE: Tropical Cyclone Mora Forecast)

A boat carries people from a ship to shore, before the expected landfall of Tropical Cyclone Mora in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Monday, May 29,2017. Bangladesh is bracing for its first cyclone of the year, with more than 1,000 shelters set up.
(AP Photo)

Some 20,000 homes were destroyed in the region, Hossain said.
"We are estimating actual losses, but we don't expect huge casualties," he said.
The island of Saint Martins also sustained significant damage.
Nur Ahmed, a public official at Saint Martins, said many homes were flattened by the strong winds. Meanwhile, some 8,000 residents were evacuated to storm shelters and hotels.
Some 300,000 people were moved to more than 1,000 shelters set up for evacuees in more than ten districts most at risk by the cyclone, government officials told the Associated Press on Monday, and more than 20,000 volunteers were ready to aid people moving from the at-risk areas.
Although the system is now inland, heavy rain will continue, which could cause flooding and mudslides in Bangladesh, northeast India and western Myanmar, Dolce said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
MORE: Bangladesh — Tropical Cyclone Mora

2 Killed, 1 Missing as Severe Weather Outbreak Hits South, Plains

Pam Wright and Sean Breslin
Published: May 30,2017
Two people died and one remains missing following a severe weather outbreak that hammered the Plains and South over the holiday weekend.
Officials confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Antonio Finley, 37, and Kaliea Munn, 17, of Nashville, Arkansas, were found dead after a vehicle in which they were traveling was swept away by floodwaters Saturday night in Branson, Missouri. Whitney McDonald, 31, who was driving the vehicle, remains missing, the report added. They were in Branson for a youth basketball tournament, the Democrat-Gazette also said.
"That particular creek had never flooded that quickly, that high before is what we were told by officials down there," National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Griffin told the Democrat-Gazette.
(MORE: 4 Things to Watch in This Week's Weather)
Meanwhile, crews continued work Tuesday to restore power to tens of thousands in the Memphis area. According to the Associated Press, some 188,000 homes and businesses lost power in the wake of the storms, and about 60,000 Memphis Light, Gas and Water customers remained powerless Tuesday morning. The power company's president, Jerry Collins, said it was the third-largest outage in the city's history, and it will take more than a week to completely restore service.
The casket of a 6-year-old boy who was recently laid to rest was found floating in water above ground in a Memphis cemetery following the storms, Fox 13 Memphis reported. The mother of Ashton Mackey said she was devastated to make the discovery as she and her family went to visit the grave site Monday.
"I'm not going to be able to sleep," Alicia Mackey told Fox 13 Memphis. "I already have nightmares. I don't sleep. This is sad. I need to see him back like he was, up under there."

Storms Leave Damage in Mid-South

Softball-sized hail clobbered parts of Missouri Saturday afternoon as severe thunderstorms were underway in the Ozarks.
According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed radar-indicated tornado was reported near Twin Bridges, Missouri, but there were no reports of major damage or injuries.
Another suspected tornado was reported near Falcon, Missouri, and emergency management reported damage from another possible tornado near Laclede. Later in the evening, another tornado was reported near Welty, Oklahoma, a town located south of Interstate 44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. There were no notable reports of damage with that reported tornado.
Photos posted to social media showed hailstones ranging in size from marbles to grapefruits near Adrian, Missouri, in Bates County.
There have also been reports of downed power lines in Henry County as winds gusted to 70 mph, while in Gravois Mills, significant damage to roofs and other structures was reported.
More than 25,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Show Me State Saturday night. In Branson, storm shelters were set up ahead of time for campers during the holiday weekend, KY3.com reported.
In Miami County, Kansas, there were reports of damaged fences and downed power lines near U.S. 69 and 223rd Street, according to KMBC.com.
(WATCH: Here's Why You Should Take Hail Seriously)
Numerous trees were downed in Creal Springs, Illinois. Additional damage was reported in the town of Jonesboro.
Lightning struck a tree in Clay City, Kentucky, Saturday afternoon, which subsequently fell on a home, according to the NWS. Some 20,000 customers lost power statewide Saturday night.
Flooding was also a problem in Kentucky Saturday evening. Roads were covered in flood water in the town of Campbellsville, and a mudslide was reported in Clementsville. As a result, a flash flood emergency was issued and parts of Highway 70 were closed.
In Carter County, Kentucky, one home was threatened by a rockslide that closed a road, according to Lex18.com. A crew sent to intercept the rockslide was successful, but the family was urged to go elsewhere for the night, the report added.

Large Hail Damages Cars in Virginia

Another line of storms marched through Virginia Saturday evening, where large hail punched through car windows in the Richmond area.
Hail as large as hen eggs fell in Richmond during the storms, according to a report from the NWS. On social media, residents shared images of vehicle damage from the large hail, while others posted videos of the big hailstones bouncing off the ground as they fell.
It was not immediately known if the hailstorm injured anyone in the Richmond area.

Storms Kill At Least 16 Near Moscow; 60,000 Evacuated

Eric Chaney
Published: May 30,2017
The death toll in Moscow and its suburbs has risen to at least 16 after strong thunderstorms and high winds buffeted the area on Monday.
"Winds gusted as high as 70 mph during the storm, which is rare for Moscow," said weather.com meteorologist Brian Donegan. "Some hail was also reported along with torrential rain."

Vehicles are covered with a fallen tree following a storm, in a residential area of Moscow, Russia. Thunderstorms and strong winds buffeted Moscow and its surrounding areas on Monday.
(Sergey Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency photo via AP)

Russian officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday that 11 people in Moscow and five others in the suburbs were killed as high winds and rain ripped through the Russian capital, felling trees and tearing roofs off buildings. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 108 people remain in the hospital.
Tourist Frank Davis, from Newfoundland in Canada, was caught in heavy traffic in the city as the "dramatic storm" struck, he told the BBC.
"The sky darkened noticeably and the winds were extremely strong.... with debris flying around from all directions."
According to the AP, more than 200 houses lost roofs, more than 2,000 cars were damaged and around 14,000 trees were downed.
"Many good trees, not old ones, were brought down. We are trying to remove all the trees before night falls," Gulnara Shakirova, a community service assistant told the BBC. "We reacted quickly and are recovering now."
Russian television stations showed metal fences, garages and even a construction crane toppled by winds around the capital, where about 3,500 trees were destroyed, the AP reports. The gusts damaged dozens of cars and disrupted train service and electricity supplies in some areas. Flights at Moscow's airports were delayed. A top emergency official said that 60,000 people in Russia's Stavropol region are being evacuated due to the threat of flooding.
The Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, expressed condolences for those who died, the Guardian reported. “Several hundred trees were felled,” he wrote on his official Twitter. “We are taking necessary measures to deal with the consequences.”
MORE: Russia Storms — May 29, 2017

EF1 Tornado Causes Landmark Dome to Collapse in Eastern Texas

Pam Wright
Published: May 30,2017

A dome collapsed after an EF1 tornado struck in Longview, Texas, Sunday.
(KLTV)

A familiar sight to residents in Longview, Texas, is no more.
According to KLTV.com, an EF1 tornado led to the collapse of a dome at the Komatsu Mining Corp. plant late Saturday. The familiar twin domes were constructed in 1941 at the plant formerly owned by the LeTourneau Munitions Inc. on Estes Parkway, the report added. The company produced massive amounts of ammunition during World War II, KLTV also said.
No injuries were reported, officials told the television station.

Before and after an EF1 tornado hit twin domes in Longview, Texas.

The National Weather Service continues to assess the damage to determine if their preliminary EF1 assessment stands.
“That (confirmation) could change a little bit from what they find,” NWS hydrometeorologist Lisa May told the Longview News-Journal on Sunday.
The domes are now owned by Komatsu, which manufactures and services machinery used in mining.
MORE: Winds Toss Planes in Texas

Eastern May Rain Fatigue; Any Break Ahead in June?

Jon Erdman
Published: May 30,2017

If April showers bring May flowers, some in the rain-fatigued East are wondering what a soaked May will bring.
After a long winter, followed by early-spring rain and late-season snow, some in the Northeast and Midwest tend to get itchy with persistently cloudy, wet weather in May.

The grounds crew pulls the tarp on the field in the third inning as the rain causes a delay in the game between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins on May 6,2017 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
(Elsa/Getty Images)

"It's hard to believe it's almost summer," said weather.com digital meteorologist Brian Donegan, from central New York.
"I'm just waiting for the days when I can go outside without a long-sleeve shirt or light jacket for more than a few days a time."
It's even had an effect on the baseball season.
According to Major League Baseball, through the May 26 postponement of the Detroit Tigers - Chicago White Sox game, there had been more postponements in less than the first two months of 2017 (26) than all of 2016.
Rather large swaths of the Northeast, Midwest and South have been significantly wetter than average in May.

May 2017 month-to-date rainfall departures (inches) through May 28 in the eastern half of the U.S. The largest wet anomalies are shown in purple, while dry anomalies are shown in progressive shades of yellow, orange and red.
(NOAA/NWS)

A number of locations are already on pace for a top five wettest May on record, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

**May's Misery - Rainfall Statistics Through May 29**
(Data: NWS, SERCC)
	May 2017 Precip. (inches)	May Average Precip. (inches)	Record Wettest May	May Days With Measurable Rain
Atlantic City, New Jersey	7.48	3.34	8.80 (1948)	13
Bangor, Maine	6.18	3.57	7.65 (1989)	15
Montgomery, Alabama	12.29	3.53	12.01 (1978)	11
Richmond, Virginia	7.57	3.78	9.79 (2016)	15
Savannah, Georgia	11.41	2.98	11.13 (1915)	7

As of Tuesday, Atlantic City, New Jersey, had nine straight days with at least a trace of rain since last Monday.
In Bangor, Maine, only two of the first 15 days of the month were completely dry.

People walk in the rain in Times Square as flash flood warnings are in effect for the New York area on May 5, 2017, in New York.
(Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)

While New York City's Central Park wasn't on pace for a top five wettest May, due in part to its very long period of record, all three major airports, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, were on pace through May 28.
If it wasn't for their first May heat wave in 16 years, namely, three straight days in the 90s from May 17-19, the month may have given no hint that summer was ahead in the Big Apple.
And pity parts of New England, who spent Memorial Day struggling to get out of the upper 40s with a soaking rain.
(FORECAST: 4 Things We're Watching in the Weather This Week)

Why So Wet?

To explain this waterlogged month, let's take a look at the jet stream.
Blocking high-pressure aloft became persistent and pervasive in May near Greenland. In fact, it became so strong it shattered records for May dating to 1948, as measured by an index called the North Atlantic Oscillation.
Why does this matter?
Blocking highs in the atmosphere can force the jet stream into large north or southward meanders. One such southward plunge, or trough, repeatedly camped out over the eastern half of the U.S. in May.

The persistent jet-stream pattern in the East in May.

Associated with each one of these jet-stream plunges is wet weather. At times, it was a deluge of heavy rain with a tropical moisture connection. Other times, it was rounds of showers, dropping just enough rain to dampen an afternoon picnic or hike.

Forecast: June Swoon?

Does the arrival of the first core summer month (at least meteorologically speaking) offer any hope of a drier, sunnier pattern?
(MAPS: 7-Day U.S. Rain Forecast)
The short answer is "not right away."
There will still be upper-level blocking high pressure to the north, which will keep the southward plunge of the jet stream generally over the East the rest of this week into next week, as well.
While this doesn't mean it will rain every day, there may be more wet than dry days into next week.
(FORECAST: New York | Boston | Washington D.C. | Atlanta | New Orleans | Chicago)

Eastern Five-Day Forecast

So, if you see a dry day in your forecast and have been itching to get outside and enjoy it, you may want to burn a vacation day, if it's not a normal day off.
(MORE: June Temperature Outlook)
And pray for that stubborn jet stream pattern to stop throwing shade.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
MORE: Stunning Aerials of Summer Beaches, Pools

Invest 91E Likely to Become Tropical Depression Late This Week; Heavy Rain Expected in Southern Mexico

Jonathan Belles
Published: May 30,2017
A tropical disturbance located south of Mexico could develop into this season's next tropical depression by late in the week, but this particular system doesn't pose a threat to the United States.
The area of storminess, deemed Invest 91E by the National Hurricane Center, has a moderate chance to develop into a tropical depression by Thursday, and a high chance by Sunday. Heavy rainfall in southern Mexico will likely be the biggest threat.
(MORE: What Is an Invest? | Hurricane Central)
Areas of investigation, or invests, are part of a naming convention used by the NHC to identify disturbances they are watching for potential development.
Invest 91E contains a gradually tightening low-level swirl of winds and towering thunderstorms beneath light wind shear, which is favorable for the growth of a tropical system.
Water temperatures are also favorable for the birth of a tropical depression, with temperatures climbing into the mid-80s.

Current Storm Status

The disturbance is forecast to slowly shuffle northward toward the Mexican coast over the next few days, but computer models currently disagree about when, or even if, this system will reach the coast.
It will bring locally heavy rainfall and a mudslide threat to southern Mexico through the weekend. Some communities in Mexico's state of Oaxaca and surrounding states could see more than a foot of rainfall.

Forecast Rainfall

Wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible over the next couple of days – higher if the system develops faster than anticipated.
Waves of 5 to 8 feet are likely along the coast of Mexico and Guatemala through mid- to late-week, and some minor coastal inundation is possible, especially along east- or southeast-facing coasts.
(MORE: 15 Most Iconic Hurricane Images of All Time)
Early-season tropical cyclones are common in the eastern Pacific, where the first tropical storm forms, on average, about June 10.
A tropical storm forms in the first 10 days of June roughly once every five years in the East Pacific Basin, generally south of Mexico.

Points where tropical cyclones have formed in the first 10 days of June.

Although this system is not expected to directly impact the U.S., storms early in the season can bring moisture northward.
(MORE: Here's How Eastern Pacific Tropical Cyclones Can Affect the United States)
The Eastern Pacific season began May 15 – about a half-month earlier than the Atlantic season. The earlier start date is due to warmer waters and typically weaker wind shear earlier in the season, as compared to the Atlantic.
Since we've already had Tropical Storm Adrian this year, the next name on the list is Beatriz.

MORE: Hurricane Patricia – 2015

This Date in Weather History for May 30,2017 from weatherforyou.com

Weather History
For Tuesday,May 30,2017

1879 - A major outbreak of severe weather occurred in Kansas and western Missouri. In Kansas, tornadoes killed eighteen persons at Delphos, and thirty persons at Irving. Two tornadoes struck the town of Irving within a few minutes time virtually wiping the small Kansas community off the map. The second tornado was perhaps two miles wide, and exhibited multiple vortices. (David Ludlum) (The Weather Channel)

1948 - A railroad bed acting as a dam gave way during a flood along the Columbia River destroying the town of Vanport, OR. The nearly 19,000 residents escaped with little more than the clothes on their backs. (David Ludlum)

1948 - Twenty carloads of glass were needed in Denver, CO, to replace that destroyed by a severe hailstorm. (The Weather Channel)

1987 - Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across the eastern U.S. Eighteen cities, from Virginia to Ohio and Michigan, reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 97 degrees at Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, and 98 degrees at Newark, NJ, were records for the date. (The National Weather Summary)

1988 - Memorial Day heralded heavy snow in some of the mountains and higher passes of Wyoming, closing roads in Yellowstone Park. McDonald Pass, MT, was blanketed with eight inches of snow, while the temperature at Miles City, MT, soared to 94 degrees. A "supercell" thunderstorm in west Texas produced baseball size hail in Bailey and Lamb counties, and up to five inches of rain in less than an hour. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1989 - Thunderstorms produced severe weather from the Upper Mississippi Valley to the Upper Ohio Valley during the day. A powerful (F-4) tornado injured three persons and caused a million dollars damage at New Providence, IA. Baseball size hail was reported at Blue Earth, MN. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

1990 - Thunderstorms developing along a warm front spawned fourteen tornadoes in northeastern Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours. The thunderstorms also produced baseball size hail near Marshall, wind gusts to 77 mph at Commerce, and up to five inches of rain. Thunderstorms over southwestern Kansas produced up to six inches of rain. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

Monday, May 29, 2017

Coldest Spring on Record? After mild,snowless winter of 2016-17,this spring 2017 could go down as one of the coldest on record,certainly in recent memory.

After one constant for the weather pattern for this past winter (a mild,dry weather pattern),the weather pattern for the 2017 spring season has been constantly changing, making it hard to pin down one characteristic for this spring,though only one constant seems to be the rainy,stormy weather pattern that has stuck around here in the Northeastern US almost constantly since early March 2017.Here's the high and low temperatures and departures from normal for White Plains,NY,in suburban Westchester County just north of NYC,for the 2017 spring season so far,as of 2:15AM,EDT,May 30,2017 from accuweather.com:

March 21:    57/39    45/29   +12/+10
March 22:    45/21    46/30    -1/-9
March 23:    39/19    46/30    -7/-11
March 24:    52/28    47/31 +5/-3
March 25:    57/41    47/31    +10/+10
March 26:          40/36          48/32               -8/+4
March 27:                48/36          48/32                0/+4
March 28:                44/40          49/33               -5/+7
March 29:    57/39    49/33    +8/+6
March 30:    50/30    50/34     0/-4
March 31:    39/35    50/34       -11/+1
April 1:    46/36    50/34     -4/+2
April 2:    61/37    51/35   +10/+2
April 3:    64/36    51/35   +13/+1
April 4:    50/44    52/36 -2/+8
April 5:    60/42    52/36   +8/+6
April 6:    51/39    53/35    -2/+4
April 7:    49/39    54/36    -5/+3
April 8:    54/38    54/36 0/+2
April 9:    67/33    55/37    +12/-4
April 10:    73/41    55/37 +18/+4
April 11:                  78/48          56/38              +22/+10
April 12:                  72/52          56/38              +16/+14
April 13:                  62/44          57/39                 +5/+5
April 14:                  63/41          57/39                 +6/+2
April 15:                  60/40          58/40                 +2/0
April 16:                  85/51          58/40              +27/+11
April 17:                  70/54          59/41              +11/+13
April 18:                  63/45          59/41                +4/+4
April 19:                  53/41          59/41                 -6/0
April 20:                  66/46          60/42                +6/+4
April 21:                  52/48          60/42                -8/+6
April 22:                  56/46          60/42                -4/+4
April 23:                  65/43          61/43                +4/0
April 24:                  62/40          61/43                +1/-3
April 25:                  56/50          61/43                -5/+7
April 26:                  63/53          62/44                +1/+9
April 27:                  67/57          62/44                +5/+13
April 28:                  83/57          62/44              +21/+13
April 29:                  84/62          63/45              +21/+17
April 30:                  64/48          63/45                 +1/+3
May 1:                 70/46          63/45        +7/+1
May 2:               74/60          64/46        +10/+14
May 3:               63/45          64/46             -1/-1
May 4:                     61/39          64/46             -3/-7
May 5:               60/48          64/46            -4/+2
May 6:               64/52          65/47             -1/+5
May 7:               54/46          65/47            -11/-1
May 8:               55/43          65/47           -10/-4
May 9:               58/42        65/47             - 7/-5
May 10:             61/45          65/47              -4/-2
May 11:               60/42        65/47              -5/-5
May 12:             61/43          66/48          -5/-5
May 13:               54/44          66/48           -12/-4
May 14:                   64/50          66/48                 -2/+2
May 15: 66/52    66/48     0/+4
May 16: 77/55    67/49 +10/+6
May 17:     85/57    67/49   +18/+8
May 18: 95/71    67/49   +28/+22       (Record High Set)
May 19: 90/62    68/50   +22/+12
May 20: 66/48    68/50    -2/-2
May 21: 67/47    68/50    -1/-3
May 22: 59/51    69/51    -10/0
May 23: 70/54          69/51                 +1/+3
May 24:                   70/56          70/52                   0/+4
May 25:                   58/54          71/53               -13/+1
May 26:                   74/54          71/53                +3/+1
May 27:                   73/53          71/53                +2/0
May 28:                   70/56          72/54                -2/+2
May 29:                   57/53          72/54             -15/-1

-Highest Temperature: 95 degrees on May 18
-Lowest Temperature: 19 degrees on March 23
-# of Highs above normal: 34 days
-# of Highs right at normal: 5 days
-# of Highs below normal: 31 days
-# of Highs at least 10 degrees above normal: 17 days
-# of Highs at least 10 degrees below normal: 7 days
-# of Highs at least 15 degrees above normal: 9 days
-# of Highs at least 15 degrees below normal: 1 day (May 29)
-# of Highs at least 20 degrees above normal:   4 days
-# of Highs at least 20 degrees below normal: 0 days

Wettest May on record? Rainfall totals and amount of cloudy days and days with measureable rainfall could make May 2017 the rainiest May on record

As I have been tracking throughout this month,May 2017 looks to go down as not only the coldest May on record,but certainly one of the wettest/rainiest for the Northeastern US and the New York tri-state area in particular,as nearly every day this month has either had measurable rainfall or at least threats for rain,with this Memorial Day weekend being no exception. Here are the daily rainfall totals and totals for # of days with measurable precipitation/rainfall for the city of White Plains,NY,in suburban Westchester County for the month of May 2017,as of 2AM,EDT,May 30,2017 from accuweather.com

May 1: None (0.00 inches)
May 2: None
May 3: None
May 4: None
May 5: 2.21 inches
May 6: 0.13 inches
May 7: 0.03 inches
May 8: None
May 9: None
May 10: None
May 11: None
May 12: None
May 13: 1.6 inches
May 14: None
May 15: None
May 16: None
May 17: None
May 18: None
May 19: 0.1 inches
May 20: None
May 21: None
May 22: 0.48 inches
May 23: None
May 24: 0.02 inches
May 25: 0.72 inches
May 26: 0.74 inches
May 27: None
May 28: None
May 29: 0.15 inches

Total Rainfall: 6.18 inches
# of Days with Measurable Rainfall: 10 days
# of Days without Measurable Rainfall: 19 days