And all this during part of the late night of December 15-16, 2021 in some areas of the north that were previously covered by snow.
The events take place after the intense, vast, long-lasting and nocturnal tornado outbreak that affected the south of the American Midwest. (Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas), December 10-11, leaving extensive damage and on the order of 100 dead and several missing.
Between December 15 and 16, another rare and unusual meteorological event has been repeated in a cold month, with special characteristics: severe storms in areas of the Midwest of the USA. and southern Canada, reaching areas of the Great Lakes.
HOLY COW!!
Heres a look right outside our station in #LNK. It was hard to even see a few feet in front of you. We heard reports of 93 MPH wind gusts at the Lincoln airport.
Please everyone STAY SAFE! @Channel8ABC pic.twitter.com/fwrzlgTE3w
— Macy Meyer (@MacyMeyerKLKN) December 15, 2021
A powerful squall was developed yesterday Wednesday, coinciding with a new entry from the south in its more oriental art. In some American states high temperature records were broken with the hot and humid flow from the south, while massive dust storms were developing to the rear, and ahead, a severe squall line with embedded tornadoes and a few fires in parts of Texas – insane.
Today many records of maximum temperatures could be broken in some US observatories for a month of December
Dec 15, 2021 pic.twitter.com/vDCx5dKJ3J– RAM Magazine of the Aficionado to the Meteorology (@RAM_meteo) December 15, 2021
The ingredients for the formation of severe storms were again in the United States. continental, similar to what happened 5 days earlier further south: strong burst of warm and humid air in the easternmost states, cold air at high levels in its western part, intense low on the surface driven by a very intense polar jet, which generated strong updrafts under unstable environment and one adequate wind shear (variation of the wind in direction and intensity with height).
Many states were under the umbrella of severe storm warnings and appropriate action was taken, especially after the deadly events in the southernmost part of the country 10-11 December, with the disastrous consequences of deaths and damage.
Mighty squall
Yesterday, Wednesday, December 15, a powerful storm generated hurricane force winds between Colorado and New Mexico and was heading towards the Great Plains. At various points winds of more than 160 km / h were measured.
Animation from Noon to 9 PM Central showing progression of the dust plume (in yellow) from #GOES16 satellite using the DEBRA product. More on that here: https://t.co/wmbHyJRSFA
Also layered on the fire temperature product, so bursts of red you see are wildfires that developed. pic.twitter.com/ilrDlMEnPN
— Alex Lamers (@AlexJLamers) December 16, 2021
The low pressure system generated a massive dust storm as a large line of severe storms developed in its front with tornadoes and very intense winds. The severe squall line swept through the Missouri Valley.
I’ve been at this for years but I’ve never seen anything like it: #GOESEast has probably captured one of the most complex and unique satellite images in history where there are simultaneously #tornados, #snow, #people , fires #IIFF associated with the same structure. https://t.co/fayat0CJiK
– RAM Magazine of the Aficionado to the Meteorology (@RAM_meteo) December 15, 2021
By the end of Wednesday, December 15, tornadoes were reported in parts of Nebraska and Iowa. Minnesota saw its first December tornado on Wednesday night. Minnesota has never seen a tornado in December since at least 1950. Possibly there are more but they have yet to be confirmed.
KUEX – Super-Res Reflectivity Tilt 1 10:57 PM GMT+1
At the front of the system a squall line with embedded tornadoes, at the rear, warnings by snow squall.
Nebraska. pic.twitter.com/iIUT0np1Ip– Pablo Sánchez (@pablosanchez_tv) December 15, 2021
Hurricane-force winds were measured in all these areas, causing serious damage. Fortunately, there are no deaths to mourn at this time. The notices and warnings were given in a timely manner by the American NWS.
Many American meteorologists did not believe scientifically justified predictions of severe storms in unusually unaccustomed areas in cold months.
Ok, nocturnal mid-December thunderstorms along the north shore of Lake Superior by Canada. When I was a undergrad meteorology student in the 70s at Michigan, predicting such an event would occur in my career would have seemed ludicrous! pic.twitter.com/3iWeNM9kjJ
— Jeff Masters (@DrJeffMasters) December 16, 2021
The NWS Severe Storm Prediction Center, SPC, reported that on December 15, 2021, the record had been set for the highest number of wind gusts from hurricane-force storms (over 120 km / h). in one day (55, and counting) since 2004. The previous record was August 10, 2020 with 53. And it was all happening in December.
The intense winds were one of the protagonists
Strong winds continued to blow across parts of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, heading toward Iowa and Missouri.
The squall line with severe embedded storms continued to move northeast toward the upper Midwest during the early hours of Thursday, December 16.
The National Weather Service, NWS, has issued high wind advisories from parts of the plains to the upper Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes.. Wind gusts of 89 to 112 km / h are possible in some of these areas, both before and for some time after the storm line arrives until early Thursday morning.
A crazy December in North America. It has had almost everything: there was only a hurricane or tropical storm affecting the country in the middle of the winter month. And it’s only been half the month of December.
In summary, a part of the US, central and northern in particular, are again affected by violent meteorological phenomena, after a tornado outbreak swept through Kentucky and other south-central states this past weekend.
– .
