Mesoscale Data
Analyzed mean sea level pressure (black) and surface wind barbs from SPC at 23Z on Sunday, May 14, 2006 (7 PM EDT).
A cold front can be seen stretching southwest from south-central Virginia across the western
Piedmont of North and South Carolina and into northeast Georgia. An area of low pressure developed along
the front and is located just northeast of Charlotte at 23Z
300 MB wind barbs (brown), 300 MB isotachs (red) and analyzed 300 MB divergence (purple) from SPC at 23Z on Sunday, May 14, 2006 (7 PM EDT).
Note the 110 knot jet max located over southern Tennessee and northern Alabama with a large
area of divergence and implied upward vertical motion over central and southern North Carolina.
Lifting Condensation Level (red, blue, and green) from SPC at 23Z on Sunday, May 14, 2006 (7 PM EDT).
The LCL (Lifting Condensation Level) is the level at which a parcel becomes saturated.
It is a reasonable estimate of cloud base height when parcels experience forced ascent. Note that
much of central NC has LCL values between 800 and 1200 meters.
Analyzed Storm Relative Helicity (SRH) in the 0-3 km layer (light blue, blue, and dark blue) from SPC at 23Z on Sunday, May 14, 2006 (7 PM EDT).
Note the axis of greatest SRH across the eastern and southeastern Piedmont and southern coastal plain. The SRH is a measure of the
potential for cyclonic updraft rotation in right-moving supercells, and it is calculated for the lowest 3-km layers above ground level.
Analyzed Bulk Richardson Number Shear (green), and CAPE (red) from SPC at 23Z on Sunday, May 14, 2006 (7 PM EDT).
The Bulk Richardson Number Shear (BRN) is the greatest across the southern Coastal Plain where significant shear is
present along with elevated values of CAPE. The greatest CAPE values range between 500 and 1000 J/kg across the
Coastal Plain. BRN values of 35-40 or greater have been associated with supercells.
NWS Composite Reflectivity Imagery from 2313Z on Sunday, May 14, 2006 (713 PM EDT).
The composite reflectivity imagery is from the approximate time in which the analysis imagery above is valid.
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