We have a highly anomalous upper air pattern covering North America with a textbook Omega block and deep upper level cut off low trapped in between. This is creating an extreme and ongoing flood situation over Texas with epicentre being Houston!
Credit: Louann @LouannTexas
Surrounding the upper cut off, temps have been running 10-30F above normal and as a result we’re seeing all-time April records fall over the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.
Beneath the upper low, there’s a bubble of 10-20 below normal air, focused over the deep snowpack of CO.
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Note the firmly below normal surrounded by warmth.
Credit: M Ventrice
The omega blocking high essentially traps weather systems. The same system which dumped 50″ of snow stalled over the Plains and with deep convection and southerly stream, thunderstorms simply trained over Houston dropping 4 inches in one hour, 12 inches in 6 hours.
Visible satellite yesterday afternoon.
Infrared
Worst flooding in Houston since Allison dumped 35 inches back in 2001.
Credit: WeatherNation
Yesterday was the 2nd wettest day in Houston history.
https://youtu.be/LT30h-brABQ
Dangerous situation throughout metro Houston.
From wettest April day in Houston…
Credit: WeatherNation
to warmest April day in Seattle…
Credit: WeatherNation
Record warmth was experienced across the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia east to Saskatchewan.
Credit: The Weather Network
Seattle, WA topped 86 degrees. Warmest April day in history and 30 above normal!
While not record warm, it wasn’t too shabby along the DC to Boston corridor yesterday either.
Credit: WeatherNation
Today sees more early summer warmth loop over top of the Plains trough.
Credit: Tropical Tidbits
Credit: Tropical Tidbits
Unfortunately further rainfall will only aggravate the devastating flood situation over the next few days as the system is slow to clear.
Credit: AccuWeather
The good news is high pressure and drier conditions settle in late week while storminess moves into the Southeast and spreads wet weather up the East Coast.
Credit: AccuWeather
Credit: AccuWeather
Will take time tomorrow to look into the pattern through the rest of April but given the continued -AO/NAO pattern, trough and cool favours many areas of the country including West and Northeast.
ECMWF 5-day mean 500mb height anomaly shows a trough digging SE over the Northeast and note the big trough returning to the West.
Credit: AccuWeather Pro
Credit: AccuWeather Pro
See today’s video.
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