re: Annual Christmas Severe Weather Thread - Tornado Watch for South & Central LA

Interesting. Where do you think the distinction line is north or BR, like St. Francisville?

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The hard interface with gulf air usually happens north of BR. Fronts seem to slow down when they approach S LA. If you spend enough time trying to hunt or fish in south LA based on weather forecasts you’ll see the pattern.

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That's true but I think it's generally more of getting a little distance from the gulf and the stable lower levels it provides. You'll get a little colder in the mid levels and a little bit of a steeper temp drop with height from the surface up north of BR line.

Couple of that with typically being closer to the surface low providing the spin and you have SW Mississippi being the severe weather launching pad more than BR and points south.

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st franny and port Gibson

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That's pretty solid tbh. Seen many a baby storm get cooking up that way and be a supercell by the time it crosses I55 in Amite County, MS. Seems like that is where you get the most surface based stuff.

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I’ve always wondered that being that BR and most of Southern Louisiana is flat. No hills or topography to speak of.

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Kansas doesn't struggle for tornadoes and it ain't exactly hilly. I see your reasoning though.

It always seems to be an issue of getting storms surfaced based this close to the gulf. The warm moist layer is a little thicker near the gulf, which is fuel for the storm but it means the temperatures don't drop as fast with height and all that moisture doesn't really get rising.

Or if it is getting surfaced based, you have too much moisture and it all goes up at once and interferes with other storms.

Its a good "problem" to have.

Isn’t the reason there’s so many tornadoes in the Midwest has something to do with air circulation rolling off the Rockies?

I think I’ve read that somewhere.

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Isn’t the reason there’s so many tornadoes in the Midwest has something to do with air circulation rolling off the Rockies?

I think I’ve read that somewhere.

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You'd be right.

The Rockies supply cold air in the mid levels and you'll see low pressure systems form along the front range as the column of air falls off the mountains and stretches, which induces spin. Lee side cyclogenesis if you want to be fancy.

That surface low starts sucking in gulf moisture and brings cold air aloft, and gives some spin. Good recipe for tornadoes.

Some pretty serious rain rolling through. Temps def droppin

Oh dang... You post on cold fronts too? Ha ha. Hows the baby?

Holy Christmas Eve sheet. I think a tornado just roared in my neck of the woods. House started shaking and wind was roaring, had to be 80+ mph. Guess I will find out in morning

Well, whatever happened here last night in Lakeland ( besides a lot of rain)-I slept right through it.