“derecho”. Latest fear mongering word to frighten people. It is just a big thunderstorm with lots of rain, as has been happening since forever.
Does that include wind?
NWS and EPA’s fault.
I think they should call it a “chingaso”.
The derecho that swept through our town back in 2012 was a “little” more than that. We cleaned up trees from our property for days, and was without power for more than a week. In the city, no less.
And not a drop of rain. Just a wall of straight-line winds.
The “Latest fear mongering word,,,” “derecho”, since 1888.
“derecho”. Latest fear mongering word to frighten people. It is just a big thunderstorm with lots of rain, as has been happening since forever”
Yeah...until you’ve lived through one like we did in eastern Iowa in August 2020. Without power for over a week. Houses destroyed..fields flattened. We had power companies from the south come up and say the damage was in some areas was worse than a hurricane...minus the flooding. You don’t know what you don’t know...Cedar Rapids lost 65% of its tree canopy. Just a thunderstorm with rain.....
On January 11, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environment and Climate Change Canada formally revised the criteria for a storm to be classified as a derecho. A wind storm must meet the following criteria:
Wind damage swath extending for more than 400 miles (640 km)
Wind gusts of at least 58 miles per hour (26 m/s; 50 kn) along most of its length
Several, well-separated 75 miles per hour (34 m/s; 65 kn) or greater gusts
Prior to January 11, 2022, the definition for a derecho was:
Wind damage swath extending for more than 240 mi (390 km)
Wind gusts of at least 58 mph (93 km/h; 26 m/s; 50 kn) along most of its length
““derecho”. Latest fear mongering word to frighten people.”
You have no clue.
“ It is just a big thunderstorm with lots of rain, as has been happening since forever.”
Wrong you obviously know nothing about thus weather event
A derecho will typically have:
Well over hurricane force winds, usually delivered (by the storm over its path, not in any one spot) for hours, perhaps several hours.
Holds together as an identifiable continuous storm for several hours. (Little “diminish here and pop up new over there” type tomfoolery, once it gets going.)
A path length of several hundred or even over 1000 miles.
A very large and sustained bow echo.
Large, strong, and sustained rear inflow jet.
Sometimes will have a significant and sustained bookend vortex.
How much of those fit the NWS description of even a large, strong thunderstorm?
The only thing that comes close is a storm carrying a long track very large tornado, similar to the one that hit Western KY a couple years ago. However, NWS does not consider such a storm to be in the same class as a “big thunderstorm with a lot of rain”, nor does such a major tornadic storm cover a wide area as does a derecho.
Living in the Midwest and now in the Mid-South, my family is very accustomed to “big thunderstorms with a lot of rain.” Some produce significant damage. The derecho that whacked us in May of 2009 was a whole ‘nother ball game...
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.