Posted on 05/19/2024 4:28:21 PM PDT by ChicagoConservative27
The central US is bracing for what could be a potentially dangerous end to the weekend as forecasters track the threat of severe weather on Sunday, including the potential for a derecho that could sweep across portions of Kansas and Oklahoma with destructive wind gusts higher than 100 mph and baseball-sized hail.
This comes on the heels of another deadly derecho that barreled across Texas and Louisiana on Thursday, blasting the Houston metro area with winds up to 100 mph that left at least seven people dead and more than 1 million customers without power.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Derechos have occurred - and been called that - for a very long time...and are a particularly bad storm with hurricane force winds. They are indeed a big deal when they occur. Downplaying their danger is not appropriate.
The term “Derecho” is applied to storm systems with very particular characteristics.
Thanks. Then one in Michigan was labeled a Derecho.
If ya’ get a real “doosey” with a strong bookend vortex, the 75+ mph wind gusts may be nearly continuous over a long path. We got that in the May 9, 2009 “super derecho”.
If you were in the worst of it, or did cleanup / repair work afterward along that path, esp. the track through SEMO and S. IL, you DON’T doubt the term “super derecho”. That MCV (Mesoscale Convective Vortex) or “bookend vortex” on the north end of that derecho was a real mo-fo.
Interestingly, THIS storm has been showing a large MCV on radar. It appears two large storms have merged and the north end developed the MCV. However, this MCV is both larger and less defined than one in the 2009 storm, and the whole thing seems to be weakening, thankfully.
I’ve been in or near dozens of high “straight line wind” events that did significant to considerable damage. Any powerful downburst qualifies, as do some gust fronts. Derecho’s (I’ve been in two) have several other qualities, most associated with size and duration / long path length. Maybe 1 in 100 “destructive straight line wind” events qualify as derechos? However, the odds of being in a derecho vs. a typical straight line wind event are a bit better, simply because derecho’s by definition are large and long duration.
July 16, 1980
DETROIT – On July 16, 1980 between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. an intense line of storms, also known as a derecho, tracked across far southern Michigan.
“According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the hardest hit were locations along and south of the I-94 corridor from Ann Arbor to Detroit. There were reports of wind gusts of more than 100 miles per hour. Extensive damage occurred to homes and businesses across the area. Railroad cars were blown off the tracks in Allen Park and several windows were blown out of the Renaissance Center in Downtown Detroit, according to the NWS...”
“Derecho” has been in increasing use by “weather bugs” and NWS since the late 2000’s. Shortly after the May 9, 2009 derecho hit S. Illinois, locals posted vids using the term “derecho”, although due to the powerful sustained MCV or “bookend vortex” on the north end of the large bow echo, the term “inland hurricane” was incorrectly used often. This vid managed to use both!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGJmOeDEBtw
Immediately after the storm, stunned locals came out, also learning of the wide extent of the damage and if the term “inland hurricane” wasn’t used, most locals were basically wondering “what the hell was THAT?!”, but local media started using the term derecho pretty quickly. Locals in SI did know that for the most part they had NOT been in a tornado — the intense winds lasted far too long.
Right. The term has really been around for quite a while, but usage was spotty. It really picked up after the May 2009 derecho. (A derecho on steroids!)
Some FReepers... (eye roll)
Are we going to quit using the word “squall” because it probably has its roots in the word skvala, which an Old Norse word?
We got hit by a derecho late overnight July 14-15 1995 in central Ontario. It was by far the worst storm I ever saw, and had continuous lightning (and thunder) for about 20-25 minutes, and damaging wind gusts with an F2 tornado track not far away (as we discovered driving around the area after daybreak). A derecho’s worst damage is certainly not comparable to a strong tornado (F-3 or stronger) but slight damage is often created over a much wider area. We were lucky not to have large trees knocked over, they were swaying around violently and we briefly went to the cellar, it got so windy. The continuous lightning was unique, I have never seen that in any other thunderstorm. This particular derecho went on to do damage in upstate NY and New England.
Probably. LOL
“Wrong again. These are hurricane force winds”
Well, those are strong winds too!😀
lol these winds will rip the paint off a wall
We had some come through last June around Father’s Day and damages are still being paid out under emergency assistance and there is still debris being picked up mostly trees
Have had them here in exurban Chicago but never more than 60-70 mph that I know of.
Remember when NBC (I think) bought up the Weather Channel and turned it into an entertainment channel with a little weather thrown in?
Their new weatherman (from NBC) tried to coin a new word..”Thorms”. It didn’t last.
I’ve been around for 77 years, never heard of it till a few years back. and I remember bad BAD storms from my youth till now.
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