Severe Weather Threat Early Wednesday

The ingredients are coming together again for a severe weather outbreak across the southeast. This doesn’t look anything a severe as last week but still has the potential to produce damaging wind gusts. So the tornado threat is smaller but the wind threat is higher this go around.

While the timing is better for less severe storms during the coolest part of the day. It’s also problematic because it will occur in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday. This makes getting warnings out harder when people are sleeping or getting ready for school & work.  Here’s a quick discussion of what’s coming together today and overnight.

 

Severe Weather Outlook from SPC:

Tornado Threat:

Damaging Wind Gusts of 58mph or higher:

CAPE:

Even at 5am Wednesday morning our Futurecast and the HRW model show a nasty squall line moving in from the west. Below in the CAPE or thunderstorm fuel(in red) and the future radar from the HRW model:

Future Radar at 5am Wednesday morning from our Futurecast model:

You can clearly see a squall line with what appears to be bowing segments. When we see this type of configuration we call it a QLCS(Quasi-Linear Convective System). These QLCS’s can have damaging winds but often small vortices that can produced shorted lived tornadoes. Something I’ll be watching very closely overnight.

 

You can download our Charlotte Weather App and stay up to date on the changing weather from your smartphone. Just scan the QR code below to download the app for FREE!