News
Severe Weather Conditions On Wednesday Ripe For Possibility Of A Derecho
By: Atish Baidya, Gabe Ross
Posted on:
UPDATE 4:30 p.m. On June 29, 2012, for the first time in recent memory the public became aware of a phenomenon known as a derecho.
Meteorologists say conditions are possible for one to occur as a line of severe weather is expected to move through much of the Mid-Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions Wednesday.
"Typically, their main threat is wind damage," said Dr. Ryan Fogt, Assistant Professor of Meteorology at Ohio University. "They don't typically produce tornadoes, but they may produce some hail."
According to Fogt, Derechos are capable of producing wind speeds up to that of a Category 1 hurricane.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma has placed the Eastern half of Ohio under a Slight Risk of severe weather, with the probability of a severe weather event occurring at 30 percent.
Western Ohio, as well as portions of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois have been placed under a Moderate Risk of severe weather, with the probability of a severe weather even occurring at 45 percent.
Fogt said atmospheric instability, along with moisture from the south and low pressure means the conditions could be favorable for strong winds and an organized system like a derecho to form.
"It won't be just a pop-up thunderstorm, it would be something that we would see propagating from Western Ohio towards Eastern and Southeastern Ohio," Fogt added. "It would be something we would be able to see in advance, and we would have hopefully a pretty good warning or lead time on those storms."
The 2012 derecho was responsible for almost two dozen deaths and left millions of people in the dark across seven states.
A meteorologist with Ohio University says the conditions are present for the same severe weather event that impacted the region last year.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center puts southeast Ohio under a slight risk for severe weather mainly from damaging wind and hail Wednesday afternoon into the evening hours.
On June 29, 2012 a line of severe thunderstorms called a derecho killed almost two dozen people and left millions of people in the dark across seven states.