hail - myFOXaustin - myfoxaustin community blogs

BIG AUTUMN STORM

From: zackshields
Description:

The sunny and gorgeous weather we enjoyed yesterday will disappear starting today with showers and storms moving in tonight. There is a very potent upper low spinning over the Four Corners.

It will produce feet of snow in the Rockies and then as it collides with the warm and moist air flowing off the Gulf, the storms will erupt in the middle of the U.S.

This upper low is more powerful than the last one. There is more energy rotating around it. The low will pull in the moisture and lift it rapidly leading to a severe weather outbreak.

The severe storms will start in the Texas panhandle into the Plains today.

Chances of damaging hail are shown below followed by damaging wind chances.

Tomorrow we are in the slight risk area for severe weather. Main concerns will be with large hail and strong winds.

This go around the line of storms should be in and out of here so rain totals will be lower than Monday's event.

It won't clear up immediately because another low pressure system will form west of us on Friday. This low will usher in more moisture and energy which will overrun the cool air at the surface. This interaction will cause overcast skies and on and off light rain as we wrap up the week.

We are still forecasting a sunny, dry and mild Halloween weekend!
Blog post
3 weeks ago
Views: 210
Not yet rated

Rainy, Stormy Monday!

From: scottprinsen
Description:

Another cold front is on the way, along with high rain chances for Monday. As of Sunday afternoon, the cold front was located across the Texas Panhandle and steadily moving southeast. As the front gets near Abilene late this evening, we should see thunderstorms blossom in this area. Those storms should intensify, and a few could become severe as the track into the northern Hill Country overnight, then into Austin tomorrow morning. The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted areas north and west of Austin as being in a slight risk for severe weather late tonight and into the early hours of Monday.

There is a slight risk that a few storms may produce large hail and damaging winds. Austin remains on the southern edge of the risk area... and a weather watch could be posted for part of our area.

We are also expecting some widespread rain with the front, especially through the first half of the day on Monday when some of it could be heavy. Rainfall forecasts indicate widespread one inch totals across the Austin area, with a few spots picking up as much as two inches! Since the ground is still wet from last week's rain, a flash flood watch has been posted for Central Texas until 7pm Monday.

Finally, cooler weather is also in the mix for Monday. It appears that we will start the day in the mid 60s, but as the front moves through after sunrise, temps will begin falling into the 50s through the afternoon! The rain should taper off Monday evening. So, count on a stormy, wet, and chilly day! Grab the jackets and umbrellas... and leave for work and school a little extra early Monday morning! Be sure to check out the FOX 7 News Edge beginning at 5am and Zack will have the very latest on our weather situation!

Scott Prinsen
Blog post
3 weeks ago
Views: 180
Not yet rated

SEVERE THREAT TODAY

From: zackshields
Description:

A cold front charging into a Summer-like airmass means storms are in our future later today. Some of them could reach severe status. Main threat will be with large hail and damaging winds.

There is about a 15 to 30% chance that isolated storms could become severe.

The front right now is located along the I-20 corridor. It will near our neighborhoods by late afternoon firing off a line of storms.

Some of the storms will lingering into the evening because the front will slow down.

We don't want the severe wx but more rain would be nice. Here is a look at future rain totals.

Even though the front will clear the area tonight and bring us cooler temps and lower humidity to the area tomorrow.

We will experience another round of heavy rain and storms on Friday because the main low is still spinning west of us.

The low will take aim on Texas on Friday pulling in the moisture and lifting it. This will lead to a stormy setup to wrap up the work week.

The low is forecast to move east of us over the weekend allowing the cool and dry wind flow to take over and give us a beautiful weekend.

Tons of sun, highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s, and low humidtiy will rule both Saturday and Sunday.
Blog post
1 month ago
Views: 284
Not yet rated

Saturday Storms

From: scottprinsen

Description:

Strong storms developed across parts of the area on Saturday afternoon... a few were severe with high winds and hail. Here is an overview of the storm damage from the National Weather Service...

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
820 PM CDT SAT AUG 22 2009

..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0516 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NE ELGIN 30.38N 97.34W
08/22/2009 BASTROP TX EMERGENCY MNGR

QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS CAUSED SOME DAMAGE TO
HOME AND KNOCKED OVER SEVERAL TREES.

0516 PM HAIL 3 NE ELGIN 30.38N 97.34W
08/22/2009 E1.00 INCH BASTROP TX EMERGENCY MNGR

QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS CAUSED SOME DAMAGE TO
HOME AND KNOCKED OVER SEVERAL TREES.

0615 PM TSTM WND DMG N BASTROP 30.11N 97.31W
08/22/2009 BASTROP TX BROADCAST MEDIA

NUMEROUS TREES BLOWN IN THE CITY OF BASTROP.

0615 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 E GARFIELD 30.19N 97.48W
08/22/2009 BASTROP TX BROADCAST MEDIA

A BARN WAS DESTROYED ON HIGHWAY 71 EAST OF THE AUSTIN
BERGSTROM AIRPORT.

0630 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 WSW LIBERTY HILL 30.64N 97.98W
08/22/2009 WILLIAMSON TX PUBLIC

HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS KNOCK OVER SOME HIGHWAY
SIGNS.

0715 PM HEAVY RAIN 5 N BRIGGS 30.94N 97.92W
08/22/2009 E3.00 INCH BURNET TX PUBLIC

HEAVY RAINFALL AND HIGH WINDS.

With a weak front still in the area, and temperatures soaring to near 100 again today, it is
possible to see a few storms reach severe levels this Sunday afternoon. It will be hard to
pinpoint who gets the storms, but they should be fairly isolated. Showers and storms
should be gone by 9pm tonight.

The week ahead looks mostly dry with temperatures near 100. A cold front will arrive in
Texas next weekend. This front may bring our area a slight chance of rain, and some
slightly cooler temperatures.

Scott Prinsen

Blog post
3 months ago
Views: 169
Not yet rated

AUGUST TWISTERS

From: zackshields
Description:

The same front that will give us a slight chance of rain on Friday produced the worst severe weather outbreak since May. The target was the Midwest yesterday.

Here is a look at the storm reports.

18 twisters with over 100 storm reports. Front plus heat equals severe storms.

Tornado damage in Minneapolis.

Here is some video.

Even had tornadoes in Illinois.
Blog post
3 months ago
Views: 260
Not yet rated

Dart Music International Happy

From: dartmusicinternational
Description:

This Month
Mother Egan's Irish Pub will be hosting a happy hour benefiting Dart Music International on July 27, 5:30-8:00 pm.

Music
DJ Alan B and DJ Freddie E will be on hand spinning some great tunes from your favorite DMI artists like Bang! Bang! Eche! (New Zealand), Capsula (Argentina/Spain), Hypernova (Iran), It's Not Not (Spain), Lily Electric (Denmark/Germany), Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle (UK), Menwhopause (India), Mockinpott (Mexico)
4 months ago
Views: 188
Forum: Events...

Hail by Justin Blanc

From: myFOXaustin
Description:
5 months ago
Views: 154
Not yet rated

Hail by Dean Grand

From: myFOXaustin
Description:
5 months ago
Views: 98
Not yet rated

STORM AFTERMATH

From: zackshields
Description:

The atmosphere finally gave in allowing some storms to move through Central Texas. The combination of the heat and an outflow boundary pushed the severe storm our way. Usually when a storm busts through the cap (warmer layer of air aloft) they become severe fast and sure enough it happened.

Here is a picture of the apparent tornado near Jollyville. Hard to tell if the rotating wall cloud/funnel is actually touching the ground making it an official tornado. Minimal damage reported in North Austin so we lucked out.

The same areas that got hit hard by hail in March got another round.

The lightning rate during the storm: 20,000 bolts in 30 minutes.

We want to thank all our viewers for the great weather pictures.

Drying out and heating up for the weekend. If we see some storms today they will happen south and west of us mainly near San Antonio.
Blog post
5 months ago
Views: 538
Not yet rated

7 Theories on the Crash of Fli

From: arkscx
Description:

Was it a lightning strike, an electrical failure, or violent turbulence? As possible debris of Air France 447 surfaced 600 miles off the coast of Brazil on Tuesday morning, The Daily Beast tracked down seven expert theories on the cause for the mysterious crash that killed all 228 on board.

1. Lightning Strike

Lightning appears to be the most plausible cause for the disappearance of Flight 447. But it’s still unlikely that lightning alone could bring down such a big jet like an Airbus 330. After all, jets are engineered to weather lightning strikes without severe damage. When lightning hits, it usually does so on the aluminum body of the plane at the wings—far from the engine and the insulated plastic cabin where the passengers sit. Only 50 minutes after making contact via radar, Flight 447 reported via an automatic transponder that it had an “electrical circuit malfunction,” which means it could have fallen victim to an electrical storm. If a lightning strike did indeed damage the fuselage, aviation expert Clive Irving writes, it should be regarded as a serious warning for engineers of new planes like the carbon-fiber Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is being designed without metal. "Because no airliner has ever been built this way before," he writes, "the 787’s ability to demonstrate a level of lightning protection at least equal to a conventional all-metal airplane is crucial."

2. Violent Turbulence

We know that Flight 447 encountered heavy turbulence associated with a thunderstorm before losing signal. At 4:14 a.m. Paris time, the plane released an automatic message that it had suffered an electrical problem and lost cabin pressure. But what caused that? It's possible that the plane flew into a fierce tropical storm over the Atlantic Ocean, The Washington Post reports, but pilots are trained to go around tropical storms—never through them. And the pilot of Flight 447 must have known that: He had clocked more than 11,000 hours in the air—including 1,100 hours on the Airbus jets. According to a senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, the thunderstorms in that part of the Atlantic Ocean towered up to the 50,000 feet that night—which could mean that the plane flew into the most treacherous part of the storm. Thunderstorms at that altitude, the Times of London reports, can have the “energy of nuclear explosions.” According to Pierre Henri Gourgeon, chief executive of Air France-KLM: “Lightning alone is not enough to explain the loss of this plane, and turbulence alone is not enough. It is always a combination of factors… A completely unexpected situation occurred on board the aircraft.”

3. Hail Storm

Just before the plane fell off the map, it reported a loss in cabin pressure—which could mean a break in the body of the aircraft. If Flight 447 flew into a particularly violent storm, The New York Times reports, it’s possible that hail could have broken the windshield. But pilots would have immediately reported distress had that happened—not just drop off the radar altogether.

4. Electrical Failure

We know that Flight 447 experienced an electrical failure before losing contact. But experts say a simple electrical fault doesn’t bring down an Airbus—so if the electrical outage is responsible, it must have developed into something greater. The Airbus was as “fly-by-wire” plane, which means that the flaps on the wings are commanded by wires rather than manual tubes. This allows planes, in many circumstances, to automatically correct if something goes wrong. But this electronic control can also backfire, as it did with an Australian Qantas A330 last year: When something goes wrong on some fly-by-wire planes, the pilot is blocked from overriding commands. On the Qantas jet, inertia sensors overrode manual commands, causing the plane to correct something that wasn’t wrong—and a nosedive resulted.

5. Fire on Board

The electrical fault may have also caused a short circuit, which, according to David Learmount, operations/safety editor of FlightGlobal, can create an intense heat or sparking on the plane. That could have resulted in a fire, which brought down a Swiss Air Boeing jet in 1998. There’s been a call for smoke detectors to be placed throughout aircrafts—not just in the bathrooms, cargo area, and engines—so that crew members can be informed of fire on board, but it's so far been largely ignored by airlines.

6. Hijacking or Sabotage

Theories of sabotage or hijacking circulated following news of the disappearance, but have been all but dismissed as aviation experts weigh the facts. There were no suspicious people on board, the Times of London reports, and had a hijacking occurred, the crew would surely have time to radio to the base.

7. Missile or Bomb

The Times of London also speculates that a missile could have caused the disappearance, but that it’s “highly unlikely given the altitude.” It’s also conceivable that a bomb may have exploded on board—explaining its immediate disappearance from radar—as the Times reports that security at the Rio airport is widely thought to be lax.
Blog post
5 months ago
Views: 2602
Not yet rated

MORE MAY STORMS

From: zackshields
Description:

Just missed the rain last night. A complex of storms drifted into South Texas dumping lots of rain.

We are sliding into a rainy and stormy pattern again. We are watching a late season front to the north and waves of lower pressure coming out of Mexico.

Most of the models indicate three rounds of rain for us. 1 today, the 2nd one tomorrow and the final one on Thursday.

The first round will increase from the west later today.

If all goes well we will get another round of welcome rain. How much? Right now we are thinking between .5 and 1". If the cluster of storms are huge some areas may receive 1 to 2". I think most of that will stay just to our south.

Not expecting a big severe weather outbreak. If we do the events will be very isolated with main concerns hail and damaging winds.
Blog post
6 months ago
Views: 239
Not yet rated

Deadly Missouri Tornadoes

From: zackshields
Description:

This is the stormiest time of the year and it's starting to act like it in the Midwest. Yesterday a rain-wrapped tornado hit Kirksville, Missouri killing 3 people and damaging 40 to 60 homes. Here is the storm report for last 24 hours. Around 200 reports of severe weather...21 tornadoes and over 100 large hail reports.

A bunch of stormchasers had a close encounter with the killer tornado. Since the twister was rain-wrapped they almost drove into the swirling winds. Here some amazing chase video from Youtube.
Blog post
6 months ago
Views: 297
Not yet rated

Some Storms for May 2, 3

From: scottprinsen
Description:

Once again this weekend, we are watching out for the potential for severe weather. As of 3pm Saturday May 2, a tornado watch is in effect until 7pm this evening for the nothern part of Central Texas(click twice on images to enlarge)...

There is a stalled front stretching from San Angelo to north of Dallas. We also have a disturbance moving in from the west... and combination of the two, plus a warm and somewhat unstable atmosphere, should fuel strong to severe thunderstorms into this evening, but mainly north of the Austin area. There is the slight possibility of a few storms for the Austin area today as well... and we can't rule out the possibility of maybe one become strong or severe. Large hail and damaging wind would be the prime threat. The tornado threat looks greatest well to our north.

The stalled front to our north will sag into our area for Sunday. There will be a chance of showers and storms again for tomorrow afternoon, but the risk for severe weather will mainly be east of I-35. Rain and storms will be out of our area by Sunday evening.

Keep an eye on our high definition doppler radar through the weekend! Hopefully, we will get some rain... but there will likely be areas that don't get any... and those that do can expect less than a third of an inch in most cases.

Scott Prinsen
Blog post
6 months ago
Views: 182
Not yet rated

SEVERE WX RETURNS

From: zackshields

Description:

You can tell we are in the heart of Spring because the severe weather is increasing big time. Just yesterday over 100 storm reports from Texas to Wisconsin.

We had some severe weather early this morning in Central Williamson County.

0419 AM     TSTM WND DMG     9 E GEORGETOWN          30.65N  97.53W
04/27/2009                   WILLIAMSON         TX   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            BETWEEN 12 TO 15 HOMES DAMAGE JUST WEST OF JONAH. 
            DAMAGE IS MAINLY DUE TO WINDS AND TREES BEING BLOWN ONTO 
            HOMES. 
Looking at the storm damage video it looks like either downburst or straight-line winds
 are the culprit this time. The National Weather Service will survey the damage to confirm.

We are not done with the severe weather threat...A slow moving front along with some
upper level energy will interact with the tropical moisture in place already.










































This watch goes until 1 pm. Here is the breakdown of what will happen within the watch box.




















Don't want the tornadoes but more rain would be nice. 
The rain gauges got a nice workout last night.

































The storms are moving so slowly that the rain could really add up some more.
So the National Weather Service has placed areas from Austin into the Hill Country
under a Flash Flood Watch until 4 pm to be on the safe side.

Blog post
7 months ago
Views: 235
Not yet rated

Watching Storms Out West

From: scottprinsen
Description:

Severe weather is beginning to erupt across West Texas this Sunday afternoon. At 4pm, most of West Texas is under a Tornado Watch... and the risk for severe weather may extend into the Hill Country overnight tonight...

We will be watching those storms south and west of San Angelo closely since they stand the best chance of reaching the Hill Country. Right now, the main threats from any severe weather would be from hail and damaging winds. The risk area for severe weather covers most of the Hill Country through sunrise tomorrow. It appears that the storms may reach the western Hill Country after midnight... and could be into the Austin Metro between 5am and 7am. It does appear that as these storms approach the Austin Metro, them may weaken a bit.

Rain totals on Monday should average less than half an inch, with higher totals toward the Hill Country where some places could see between 1 and 2 inches.

Rain should taper off toward midday, but a few may redevelop toward the afternoon and evening hours. The threat for severe weather should shift north and east of Austin toward afternoon. Highs on Monday will be in the low 80s.

Hopefully, we will get some rain out of this system on Monday. The rest of the week has only slight chances of rain.

Scott Prinsen
Blog post
7 months ago
Views: 251
Not yet rated

STORM UPDATE

From: zackshields
Description:

The rain and storms have moved in right on schedule. It has been a very busy day so far in the weather center. The radar screen is full of storms. So far not too many reports of severe weather...just some much needed rain.

Much of the area is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 1 p.m.

So far the storm reports have been isolated. 1.5" near Fredericksburg, 1" hail in Cherokee and pea sized hail near Blanco. It was much worse across the panhandle yesterday with 11 tornado sightings around Lubbock.

We don't want the severe weather but the rain is nice.

So far radar estimating 1 to 2 inches fell in the Hill Country and the gauges are backing it up. More rain is on the way. Great News!

The models indicating another 1 to 2 inches possible in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Soggy start to weekend. Another round of rain and storms tomorrow as the front slowing moves across the state. The weekend won't be a total loss because the rain will turn off and the skies will clear on Sunday.

If you have any storm reports or weather pics feel free to email us the info at www.weather@fox7.com
Blog post
7 months ago
Views: 388
Not yet rated

STORMY SETUP

From: zackshields
Description:

The clouds are here and the rain will soon follow. We are still tracking a slow moving upper low out west that will give us a couple rounds of rain and storms.

All the ingredients are in place...abundant moisture, dryline/front just to the west and waves of upper level energy to promote rising motion so the clouds can build into springtime storms.

Rain is likely the next few days but the big question is how much will we get? That is a tricky question because the slow movement of the low has all the models all over the place when it comes to future rain totals.

Here is what our Adonis models is spitting out.

The heaviest rain to the north and east of Austin. Other computer models suggest more is on the way.

And so does the Climate Prediction Center....

Rain is good but severe weather is bad. Today the Hill Country is under a slight risk and then all of the area will be in the middle of things on Friday. Main threats will be with large hail and damaging winds.

The bulls eye on Friday is right here in Central Texas.

So bottomline...storms will clip the area late on Thursday and then it will be a direct on us during the day on Friday. Since the low is hitting the brakes a few showers and storms could be possible on Saturday before drying out completely on Sunday. Much needed rain is on the way but look out for storms that will be borderline severe.

Keep it on FOX 7 or myfoxaustin.com for the latest weather information. I will give updates on my twitter account also. www.twitter.com/zackshields
Blog post
7 months ago
Views: 221
Not yet rated

BIG SPRING STORM

From: zackshields
Description:

Today is transition day. We will begin to go from dry to soggy as a huge upper low spinning out west takes aim on Texas.

Even though the main low will stay to our north, there will be waves of energy rotating around it that will interact with the dryline and a slow moving front. The result...two rounds of rain.

The 1st round comes in late on Thursday. Most of the action will stay to the north.

As the front gets closer to us on Friday, the rain will become widespread here in Central Texas. Friday will be rainy and stormy day for us.

So how much rain?

We want the rain minus the severe weather. On Thursday most of the severe storms will stay out west. On Friday, there is a slight risk for severe weather around here. The main threat will be with large hail and gusty winds.

Here is some good news. The low lifts to the northeast over the weekend. That means for us...the rain turns off and the skies clear up as soon as Saturday afternoon. What good timing!
Blog post
7 months ago
Views: 210
Not yet rated

NEW TORNADO VIDEO

From: zackshields
Description:

We lucked out on Easter...a round of much needed rain without severe weather and the sun took over in the afternoon. Other parts of the country were not as lucky. Numerous severe weather reports from Oklahoma to Tennessee. The storms have really increased in the last few weeks. Check out the latest from the Storm Prediction Center..

The hardest hit area was in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It was an EF 3 twister that killed 2 people. The tornado was captured by a bunch of people so there is plenty of evidence of how big and powerful the tornado was. Here are some very impressive videos of the twister. This first one is from a television station's skycam.

This next one is very shaky at first but has a great view of the tornado.

The storm reports are close to the averages. The tornado tally is at 301 and counting. The death toll unforunately is at 14 already and the peak of tornado season is still to come (May and June).

Enjoy the sunny and dry weather the next few days because the rain and storms will return for the 2nd half of the work week. A slow moving low will drag a front into the area Thursday and Friday putting us in a prime location for soggy weather again. Some models are indicating we could get 1 to 2 inches of rain. We will keep you updated of course as we get closer to the end of the week.
Blog post
7 months ago
Views: 551
Not yet rated

128 Search Results for "hail"