CASILIST : The Big One?

J (j{at}weatherwatchers.org)
Mon, 02 Feb 1998 22:49:20 -0500

If you haven't been watching the Weather Channel tonight, it looks like
a huge storm system that is currently inundating Florida will move up
the East Coast during the next several days. The exact track of the
storm will determine where the rain/snow line will be but it currently
looks like some of you will have some very heavy precipitation during
the next few days. The latest statement issued by the National Weather
Service here in PA is for the storm to be far enough south and east to
spread heavy snow into Southern PA but not as far north as HQ.

High winds and severe thunderstorms have been occurring today over
Florida; several TVS (Tornado Vortex Signatures) have been detected off
the southeast coast of Florida this evening by Miami and/or Key West
radars. Buoy stations in or off the coast of Florida have reported wind
gusts in excess of hurricane force this evening in the severe
thunderstorms. An example (peak wind 73kt from Molasses Reef, FL):

Time Temp Dewpt Wind Gust PeakWnd Press
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

02 9PM 66.9 W(260) 29 35 SSE 69 29.67
02 8PM 71.6 SE(140) 49 58 SE 73 29.51

D'ohh! Even more important than that is the following observation which
Member Greg Drollinger just alterted me to (first the raw then the
decoded):

KMIA 030127Z COR 19048G90KT M1/4SM +TSRA FG OVC005CB 21/20 A2968
RMK AO2 WSHFT 0059 TSB25 PRESRR CONS LTGICCCCG ALQDS TS OHD
MOV NE P0092=

STA TMP DP RH WD WS G PRS ALT PCPN CLOUD LEVELS HGT TYP
VIS WX
MIA
8pm 70 68 93 190 48 90 2968 5 OVC 0
T+RF

That's right folks... Of course, any observation is up to final
instrumentation check but yes, that's Miami reporting a Heavy
Thunderstorm, pressure rising rapidly, lightning in cloud, cloud to
cloud, and cloud to ground, all quadrants, with a wind gusting to 90kts.
(104mph!)

In any case, it's a rough night in Florida!

--
==============================================================
Jesse Ferrell - Meteorologist - j{at}weatherwatchers.org
Central Atlantic Storm Investigators - www.weatherwatchers.org
"A tornado?  Why wasn't it dissipated by the weather
modification net?"  --Jean-Luc Picard     || ICQ No. 136862 ||