Ticker for April 26, 2021

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
April 26, 2021     April 26, 2021     April 26, 2021     April 26, 2021


Flood tubes 3 and 4




Have you ever noticed that adults won't think twice about eating chicken strips,
but somehow think fish sticks are for kids only? What about if we called them
"fish strips?" Oh, you throw a piece of haddock (I swear that's a fish??) or
cod and call it a "filet" and you'd scarf it down...but fish sticks? Well, that's
where my thinking started this morning, and now I'm hungry for fish strips. Our
high end severe risk day could still happen, but heavy rains are looking more
and more certain over the Tuesday and Wednesday into early Thursday. Here are
the outlooks from SPC for tomorrow concerning the actual severe part of the
severe weather event...not that flash flooding isn't severe, but I'm talking
the hail and winds and tornadoes. Oh my?? Step aside for these maps, Dorothy.









We have a standard spring setup for tomorrow, with a storm system to the north
dragging a dryline and front into play. The question is how much moisture return
do we get for the dryline, will early rains mess up that setup, how hot will it
get and is that enough to break the convective cap. Once storms form, if they
do, then they'll march to the east and possibly form a squall line. Then we
start to get the moisture flowing in for late Tuesday into Wednesday, and the
heavy rains begin in Earnest (which I prefer over beginning in Gary, or even
Geary). We should have the warmth. The atmosphere has really heated up over the
last couple of days, with a glimpse of summer out west. Today and tomorrow will
be on the hot side out in storm-initiation territory as well.







Dewpoints are only in the 50s across much of Oklahoma, and the severe weather
needs those 60s down in Texas to start flowing up this way.





Notice how dry it is out in the Panhandle, however. That low humidity along with
fierce winds gusting to over 45 mph will create pretty dangerous fire conditions
out that way.







We need the rain, especially down south and up in the northwest where the last
few storm systems have left them wanting.







Fried catfish is awesome, by the way.

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org