Alert archive / Maine / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2018
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 35, NWS Caribou, ME
NWS Caribou, ME issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 29, 2018, 2:49 PM EDT for Somerset County, Maine. It was in force for 56 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 29, 2018, 2:49 PM EDT (18:49 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 29, 2018, 3:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 56 min
- Issued by
- NWS Caribou, ME
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 1.25 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
County Somerset County, ME
The radar
The Caribou radar (KCBW), 177 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:52 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The nearest sounding before it
Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 182 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -263 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1325 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -15 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 4 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Caribou, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 29, 1:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 29, 1:47 PM EDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Caribou ME 147 PM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 .SYNOPSIS... Low pressure from Quebec will approach this afternoon and cross the region tonight. A trailing cold front will cross the region late tonight and Thursday morning. Cooler and drier air will then move into the area later Thursday and Friday as Canadian high pressure builds southward. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... 145 PM Update... No change in the thinking of Severe WX threat. Decided to stay w/the previous thinking of damaging winds as the primary threat. Watching the cell in Quebec as it is showing rotation w/a hook. That appears to riding the gradient of the ridge. The latest RAP soundings support possilbe rotation w/the storms as LCLs drop along w/strong directional/speed shear. Meso analysis showed strong theta E ridge across the north-central and downeast areas. The 12z NAM and 16z RAP matching close to the initial setup. Nice dewpoint ridge nosing nne w/dewpoints expected to climb all the way into northern areas as the stalled boundary lifts n. Expecting the radar to light up over the next few hrs. Previous Discussion... The main concern in the near term continues to be the convective potential later this afternoon and into this evening. A wave of low pressure across the Great Lakes region will then track northeast across southern Quebec, drawing the front back to the northeast as a warm front by late this afternoon. As it does so, showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon across northern and western portions of the region. It appears as if the greatest threat for any stronger storms will be across western Maine and into the central Maine Highlands, where surface based CAPE is expected to increase to around 1000J/KG. 0-6km shear also increases to around 50 kt across this region resulting in the threat for gusty winds in any stronger storms. Freezing levels start out high, but some mid level cooling toward evening posses the threat of small hail in any stronger storms. Decided to mention locally heavy downpours in any storms as well, with precipitable water values increasing to over and inch and a half. A cold front is then expected to move southeast across northern Maine after midnight and then into central and downeast areas toward daybreak Thursday. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue into tonight with the passage of the front, although the threat for any stronger storms should begin to diminish with the loss of daytime heating early this evening. Highs across the north are expected to range from the mid 70s to around 80 degrees. Across central and downeast areas, highs are expected to generally be in the mid 80s. Heat indices across central and downeast areas are expected to top out at around 90 degrees which is below heat advisory criteria. Lows tonight are expected to range from the upper 50s to lower 60s across the north and mid to upper 60s downeast. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... A cold front will cont crossing thru Cntrl and Downeast ptns of the Rgn Thu morn and erly aftn with sct shwrs and isold tstms then take shwrs SE of the FA later Thu aftn and eve. Behind the cold front, sig cooler (at least back to near seasonal norms) and much drier air from Cntrl Can will move into Rgn for Thu ngt into Sat. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... Clds will increase ahead of the next weak cold front Sat ngt with a chc of shwrs and Tstms mainly Sun aftn and eve. Models are then uncertain with the tmg of any follow-up s/wvs for erly next week. In any event, none of the models indicate sig widespread rnfl Mon and Tue, so for now kept PoPs in the slgt to low chc category until models getting better tmg consensus in the long range. Temps look to gradually warm Sun into Tue, but not as warm or humid as it has been the last couple of days. && .AVIATION /15Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... NEAR TERM: 620 AM.... VFR flight conditions are expected at all the terminals this morning and into this afternoon. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop across portions of northern and central Maine late this afternoon and continue into this evening. Will include VCTS at the forecasts terminals later this afternoon, except for KBHB. However, non TAF sites such as GNR and MLT may stand the best chances for thunder this afternoon and into this evening, with local IFR or lower in any stronger storms, along with turbulent flight conditions. SHORT TO LONG TERM: Mainly VFR all TAF sites, xcpt briefly MVFR with any tstm or heavier shwr Thu and Sun aftn/eve. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: Winds/seas are expected to remain below SCA levels through tonight. SHORT TO LONG TERM: No marine hdlns anticipated. Kept close to WW3 wv guidance grids with with sig wv pds in the short wind fetch 4 to 7 sec and long distance swell 8 to 11 sec ranges. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. MARINE...None. && Near Term...Hewitt
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 29, 11:16 AM EDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
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</html>In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 29, 10:03 AM EDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Caribou ME 1003 AM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 MEZ001>006-010-011-015-031-032-292115- Northwest Aroostook-Northeast Aroostook-Northern Somerset- Northern Piscataquis-Northern Penobscot-Southeast Aroostook- Central Piscataquis-Central Penobscot-Southern Penobscot- Southern Piscataquis-Northern Washington- Including the cities of Allagash, Clayton Lake, Madawaska, Fort Kent, Frenchville, Presque Isle, Caribou, Van Buren, Mars Hill, Baker Lake, Billy-Jack Depot, Baxter St Park, Chamberlain Lake, Churchill Dam, Mount Katahdin, Millinocket, East Millinocket, Patten, Medway, Houlton, Hodgdon, Sherman, Smyrna Mills, Greenville, Monson, Blanchard, Lincoln, Howland, Springfield, Bangor, Brewer, Orono, Old Town, Dover-Foxcroft, Milo, Guilford, Danforth, Vanceboro, and Topsfield 1003 AM EDT Wed Aug 29 2018 ...Strong to Severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon into early evening... Strong thunderstorms are expected to develop across the region this afternoon and continue into early evening. Thunderstorms have the potential to become Severe with the highest threat across the Piscataquis, Penobscot and Mount Katahdin region. Severe thunderstorms may contain strong wind gusts in excess of 58 mph with very heavy rainfall. Hail up to one inch in diameter and rotation is possible in the more intense storms. Continue to monitor the National Weather Service or your local media outlet for updates on this developing weather situation. Hewitt
The office that day
Everything else NWS Caribou, ME issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 8:28 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | CAR | Washington | 32 min |
| Aug 29, 3:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAR | Piscataquis, Somerset | 61 min |
| Aug 29, 3:57 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CAR | Piscataquis, Somerset | 33 min |
| Aug 29, 4:27 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CAR | Piscataquis | 33 min |
| Aug 29, 4:57 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | CAR | Penobscot, Piscataquis | 63 min |
| Aug 29, 5:44 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAR | Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis | 61 min |
| Aug 29, 5:49 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAR | Penobscot, Piscataquis | 41 min |
| Aug 29, 6:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CAR | Penobscot, Piscataquis | 30 min |
| Aug 29, 7:04 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | CAR | 41 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Maine, 2018Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2018
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.