General Weather Discussion - April 2016

[Paseofreak]

It's not normal by my reckoning. But, this had six days to stew on the interwebs and what not. I've been at several establishments this afternoon where employees are lobbying to close early. So they can go to the bar. However, more seriously, Moore 2013 changed things with kids lost at school. People in charge are making decisions out of an abundance of caution. I've got a feeling that this is going to be a trend, and in this case a poorly considered one.

[d-usa]

I imagine that the fact that many schools have an abundance of leftover snow days isn't helping either.

[ou48A]

The problem is that nobody knows with enough lead time exactly when the storms are going to hit.
There have been many instances when streets and highways were basically shut down due to congestion when everybody waited to leave at the same time.
Getting caught in a car when you can’t go anywhere is to be avoided at all cost and that has happened to thousands of people.

This is why for several years I have made all my appointments in the late AM in the months of April and May.

[turnpup]

I wonder if next time people won't take it as seriously.

But today was really crazy. About 3:00 when we went to get the kiddo from school, we passed a gas station that's normally only got a car or two at a time. This afternoon, every single pump was full.

[ou48A]

Storm going up fast near Chickasha moving NNE.
It’s isolated and needs to be watched!

[ou48A]

There is an isolated developing storm east of Lawton that could make the metro if it holds together

[SoonerDave]

So today, people were fleeing downtown at 3PM like a tsunami was on their heels.

Then, my vet called to say they couldn't honor a 5PM appointment because they were shutting down, and just about every school and social event is cancelled tonight.

Is this common now every time there is a threat of severe weather that is still hours and hours out? (this is my first storm season here in 25 years)

It wasn't common until about two or three years ago. I think it's the new normal now, however. I think lives lost in an elementary school plus the repeated hits in Moore have taken a toll and have led to a wholesale shift in attitudes toward a storm forecast. Unheard of when I was a kid, even in to my thirties/forties....but now...closing down early, altering schedules, schools closing...I think that's the new normal. You never had school districts working as closely with the NWS people like they are now.

[ou48A]

Developing hook south of Norman

[BoulderSooner]

Pds t watch doesn't happen that often.

[jerrywall]

If the choice is over caution vs more dead kids? I'll take over caution. I think so many folks have been personally affected by recent storms, or know someone who was, that this is the new normal.

[SOONER8693]

If the choice is over caution vs more dead kids? I'll take over caution. I think so many folks have been personally affected by recent storms, or know someone who was, that this is the new normal.

Amen!

[rezman]

And Mike Morgan literally just said " If it walks like duck, and talks like a duck, then it's a duck, and this is a tornado"

[TU 'cane]

Moore changed things recently speaking. I've noticed ever since that big one hit Moore (and Joplin before then) and Plaza Towers (?) Elementary was destroyed that precuation is practiced in the utmost. The weathermen don't want blood on their hands so everything is hyped up. I use that last term loosely.

[bchris02]

Moore changed things recently speaking. I've noticed ever since that big one hit Moore (and Joplin before then) and Plaza Towers (?) Elementary was destroyed that precuation is practiced in the utmost. The weathermen don't want blood on their hands so everything is hyped up. I use that last term loosely.

I know I wasn't near as intimidated by severe weather before the 2013 season. That year really changed a lot of people's perspectives on it.

[Outhunder]

If the choice is over caution vs more dead kids? I'll take over caution. I think so many folks have been personally affected by recent storms, or know someone who was, that this is the new normal.

Oh come on. So every time it looks like it's going to storm, schools should close for the day?

[LocoAko]

There was almost definitely a small tornado along the leading edge of the convection as it moved through NE OK into east Edmond/Arcadia/Luther area, with debris signatures showing up on radar. There had also been a very tiny and brief circulation NE of Mustang (that went on to produce the Luther tor). Will be interesting to see any damage assessment in the next few days... as the circulation was concurrent with 60-80+ mph winds that swept through parts of Bethany and N OKC.

[jerrywall]

Oh come on. So every time it looks like it's going to storm, schools should close for the day?

yes, that's what I said. eye roll.

[Jake]

I think Oklahoma, especially central Oklahoma, is still trying to find a happy medium between being cautious and being overly dramatic after 2013. The media definitely hasn't found it yet.

Better safe than sorry though, I guess.

[king183]

I think Oklahoma, especially central Oklahoma, is still trying to find a happy medium between being cautious and being overly dramatic after 2013. The media definitely hasn't found it yet.

Better safe than sorry though, I guess.

Yep, it's officially ridiculous. I understand the difficulty of forecasting these events and the need to be cautious, but we're now on the extreme end of the spectrum, where we're expected to live in near constant fear of disaster. It's an absurd way to live. We need to get back to the happy medium and stop thinking every event will be a Moore EF-5 or even close to it.

[jerrywall]

I mean gosh, one school district used an available snow day, and a few evening events were cancelled. a few folks got of an hour or so early too!! The horror!

Honestly, if a few folks getting an extra hour off of work on a day where there were multiple tornadoes, hail, high winds, and storm, is an "overreaction", I'll take it.

[Dessert Fox]

The NAM paints a nasty picture for Friday, however the GFS and the Euro disagree and say most of the severe weather potential stays in Texas. So as Friday gets closer it'll become more clear(although today certainly never got very clear)

Anon should update sometime tomorrow with his thoughts.

[Jake]

I don't think closing schools and/or work in preparation for extreme weather is a bad thing. As long as it doesn't become too common, which I don't think it will.

[OKCisOK4me]

Yep, it's officially ridiculous. I understand the difficulty of forecasting these events and the need to be cautious, but we're now on the extreme end of the spectrum, where we're expected to live in near constant fear of disaster. It's an absurd way to live. We need to get back to the happy medium and stop thinking every event will be a Moore EF-5 or even close to it.

No joke! Yesterday was another perfect example of doom and gloom "expectancy" going wrong again! PDS my butt... more like Probable Dud System.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it spun up baby tornados and what not but, seriously, shutting down schools for subpar EF2 spinups? Oklahomans be like, "I gots the fear of God Almighty in me!" SMH...

[bchris02]

The NAM paints a nasty picture for Friday, however the GFS and the Euro disagree and say most of the severe weather potential stays in Texas. So as Friday gets closer it'll become more clear(although today certainly never got very clear)

Anon should update sometime tomorrow with his thoughts.

Right now, SPC seems to still think Friday's storms will be concentrated in southwestern Oklahoma and north Texas. The local stations right now seem to be more focused on that as a heavy rain w/ some severe event for central Oklahoma.

Aaron Tuttle, who downplayed the hype for yesterday's storms, is saying the opposite and that Friday is really a day to worry about for the OKC area. To be fair, there were many different versions of the forecast for yesterday and none of them got it very close in terms of how it actually played out.

[rezman]

When we were kids, we used to sit up on the roof and watch the storms come in, and get down when we absolutely had to. We weren't scared of the weather like folks are being brought up today are.