Why so much lighting for this event? Certainly, the record breaking amounts of atmospheric moisture streaming into the area the previous two days are prime candidates. Large amounts of moisture act like "fuel" for thunderstorms, since as the air rises in the cumulonimbus clouds, the moisture condenses, releasing latent heat, which makes the air more buoyant.
Another measure of the intensity of the thunderstorms yesterday were their heights. Typical thunderstorms around here usually rise to 15,000-20,000 feet at most. Wimpy stuff. But yesterday, several of the storms climbed to over 40,000 ft, as shown by the echo-top radar product shown below.
One of my graduate students went to the University of Oklahoma and even he was impressed. Torrential rain fell out of some of the more intense cells. In Auburn, 1.3 inches of rain fell in less than two hours. That is a deluge.
Well, the thunderstorms are over now, and light rain is moving in associated with a (typical) Pacific front. Oh well...
from Cliff Mass Weather Blog http://ift.tt/2pIMEfM
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