at 8:20 PM by Pierce Larkin

WxRecap: August 5th & 6th Storms

While I haven’t been in Bowling Green for nearly two weeks (I was on vacation with my family), I do know that there were some epic storms that rolled through the region on Friday and Saturday. Though they didn’t produce a ton of damage, they were significant, and worsened the already wet pattern we have been seeing.

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Precip on Friday. h/t NWS Louisville
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Precip on Saturday. h/t NWS Louisville

The mid level pattern was characterized very similarly both days, with weak northwesterly flow behind a weak trough axis, centered to our east. A weak jet streak was propagating across southern Canada, which produced a surface low pressure system that moved eastward.

500 mb analysis on Friday. h/t SPC
500 mb analysis on Friday. h/t SPC

On Friday, the associated cold front can be noted as being just to our northwest, being the main forcing mechanism both on Friday and Saturday. Additionally, weak shortwaves at 700 and 850 mb rotated through during the day on Friday, with a more pronounced shortwave passing through during the say on Saturday. These were the main mechanisms for lift on Friday and Saturday.

The surface cold front on Friday is denoted in blue. By Saturday, it had moved very little. h/t SPC
The surface cold front on Friday is denoted in blue. By Saturday, it had moved very little. h/t SPC

In terms of temperatures and moisture, the atmosphere can be characterized as very summer-like. There was plentiful moisture within the boundary layer, as surface dewpoints were well into the 70s, and dewpoints at the top of the boundary layer (850 mb) were well above 14°C.

850 mb dewpoint temperatures on Friday evening. h/t SPC
850 mb dewpoint temperatures on Friday evening. h/t SPC
Surface temps and dewpoints on Friday. Dewpoints are in the yellow and green, and temperatures associated with the red and pink lines. h/t SPC
Surface temps and dewpoints on Friday. Dewpoints are in the yellow and green, and temperatures associated with the red and pink lines. h/t SPC

With temperatures peaking in the upper 80s and lower 90s by the time storms developed, an unstable atmosphere was yielded across the region. With forcing mechanisms both days, an elevated thunderstorm threat developed, and produced some amazing ones.

While these storms weren’t the craziest we’ve seen all summer, they popped up in a moist and unstable environment and produced heavy rain, and awesome photos two days in a row. The shelf cloud pics were some of the best I have seen in a long time!