Lightning Strikes

Sky Watch Friday post time!!! (Please visit Tom's blog to participate.) OK, so I took this shot back in August, but it is my absolute favorite lightning shot (that I have taken). I was standing in my sun room to protect myself (somewhat) from the dangerous thunderstorm that I was standing there photographing. The original shot has been cropped and had the drops removed to result in the one seen above... see, I have the original here. You see, this is my backyard. I decided to post this pic of CG (cloud to ground lightning) in honor of severe weather season. Lightning is among the most dangerous and life threatening of the severe weather elements.

WHAT IS LIGHTNING?
Lightning is the result of the buildup and discharge of
electrical energy. The air in a lightning strike is heated
to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is this rapid heating of
the air that produces the shock wave that results in
thunder.
A cloud-to-ground lightning strike begins as an
invisible channel of electrically-charged air moving from
the cloud toward the ground. When one channel nears
an object on the ground, a powerful surge of electricity
from the ground moves upward to the clouds and
produces the visible lightning strike.

Generally, if you are close enough to hear thunder, you are in danger of being struck, so get indoors immediately.

I will update more after we see what happens tonight in the plains. Current subsidence inversion (capping) has a hold over convection, and thunderstorms are being prevented from development, but that is weakening, and it could be a rough night. A tornado watch has just been issued for parts of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Stay tuned.

May 2nd update:I can't tell you how excited Jim Cantore on TWC was to be talking about the busted cap last night. That was the last element standing in the way of a tornado outbreak, which occurred just after the cap broke (the cap is almost like a roof, hot air has no where to go, and its existence prevents storm development). Here is the synopsis of what happened last night... it was an exciting night in storm chasing... Currently, the tornado report count stands at 19 reports, and a few of those were multivortex tornadoes, having two on the ground at the same time. One, in Ralston, Oklahoma was 100 yards wide.

** RALSTON OSAGE OK at about 9:25PM **100 YARD WIDE MULTI VORTEX TORNADO. HAS BEEN 2 TORNADOES ON THE GROUND AT THE SAME TIME.
** PAWHUSKA OSAGE OK 10:07PM **TORNADO THAT IS TRACKING THROUGH PAWNEE AND OSAGE COUNTIES REMAINS ON THE GROUND AT THIS TIME. CONTINUED REPORTS OF 2 TORNADOES ON THE GROUND AT THE SAME TIME INTERMITTENT
** BELTON CASS MO 10:08PM **TWO BRIEF TOUCHDOWNS NEAR INTERSECTION OF 215TH AND PROSPECT

Let's not overlook the fact that it was a night event, so tornadoes would have been especially difficult to spot, so it is likely that more occurred than were even reported in an outbreak like that. During the night, the storms merged to a bowed squall line, wreaking havoc in Kansas City, Missouri will 80mph winds, which cause more widespread damage than tornadoes because of the larger area they cover. Storms continue into today, with a Public Severe Weather Outlook having been issued this morning for an area of moderate risk for severe weather (including parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee). Tornado watches are chasing the squall line across the southern plains. The main threat with this storm is large hail and damaging winds, but isolated tornadoes that form are expected to be strong, given the environment. Another weather radio day.

I know of a few storm chasers out in this storm today and were yesterday, too.

Steve Miller, OK
Amos Magliocco
Dick McGowan (not sure if he was out...)
Tony Laubach

Happy Friday!
~Dewdrop