June 4: Heading West
Yesterday
Our Field Team deployed two Project WeatherEye RDD units in Oklahoma as a large squall line passed thru! Check out some photos above.
Today
A stormy afternoon and evening are likely for parts of the southern High Plains, with severe thunderstorms possible from late afternoon into tonight. The primary threats will be large hail and damaging winds, while a low probability tornado risk lingers in areas like the west Texas Panhandle and far east/adjacent New Mexico.
Showers and isolated thunderstorms are already underway this morning across the southern Rockies and High Plains, drifting northeast while gradually weakening this morning. Much of the region is currently under a cool airmass, but southerly flow is expected to return by this afternoon, rapidly modifying the airmass and setting the stage for renewed storm development.
Radar Composite as of 9:45AM Central
A shortwave moving across the Southwest will act as the catalyst for showers and thunderstorms from the Four Corners eastward into the southern High Plains. The strongest storms are most likely in east central New Mexico during the late afternoon and early evening. Here, the leading edge of moisture will interact with storms coming off the higher terrain of central New Mexico, ahead of the approaching shortwave.
These storms are likely to produce large hail initially, given the favorable environment. However, high cloud bases and strong outflow may cause storms to transition into a more linear or bowing mode by tonight, increasing the risk of damaging wind gusts.
A low probability tornado threat exists, particularly as storms approach the Texas Panhandle, where better moisture and stronger southeasterly winds could enhance potential rotation in the updrafts.
Tomorrow
A general risk of severe storms extends from ~FORT STOCKTON~ Texas to SE Colorado and Kansas. The greatest tornado risk is the Texas Panhandle up towards Dodge City, Kansas. We’ll be monitoring tomorrow for a likely Project WeatherEye deployment!
