Ticker for February 18, 1999

                
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February 18, 1999  February 18, 1999  February 18, 1999  February 18, 1999


Severe Winds in Cimarron County Last Night

Last night between 7:00 and 8:00 pm, the Kenton and Boise City Mesonet
Stations reported wind gusts of 61 and 66 mph, respectively.  No rain
was recorded at either station:




Were these synoptic-scale winds behind the passing front, as was the
case just a week or so ago?

Probably not.

The evidence suggests a microburst: the temperature field definitely
fluctuated, and there were cellular radar echoes in the area.  The echoes
weren't strong (Dodge City, Amarillo, and Pueblo radars all remained in
clear air mode), but the Ticker has been reassured, by an M.S. candidate
focusing on heat bursts, that it doesn't take much more than a good-sized
cumulus cloud, given the right conditions, to produce a strong downburst.

The irregular solar radiation traces at the time also hint at cumulus
populations in the area.

So, it looks like we've had two separate, and quite different,
occurrences of precipitionless severe winds in Cimarron County
in the last week.