National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Hazardous Coastal Conditions for the Mid-Atlantic; Storm System Approaching Southern Alaska

A Nor'easter will create hazardous marine and coastal conditions along the Mid-Atlantic coast through mid-week, with significant coastal flooding and beach erosion possible. Meanwhile, another strong storm system is forecast to bring high winds and heavy precipitation to portions of southern Alaska. Elsewhere, relatively benign weather is expected through the first half of the work week. Read More >

Microburst Impacts Amarillo on April 16
 
A preliminary National Weather Service survey determined that a very localized microburst, packing winds between 65 and 70 mph, was responsible for some damage across southeast sections of Amarillo during the late afternoon hours of Monday, April 16.  A microburst is a downdraft (sinking air) in a shower or thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale.  Some microbursts can pose a threat to life and property, but all microbursts pose a significant threat to aviation.  Although microbursts are not as widely recognized as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce.  In fact, wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases.  We would like to thank the Amarillo/Potter/Randall Office of Emergency Management for sending two of the damage images below.
 
RADAR IMAGES
Base reflectivity image at 5:15 p.m. Base velocity image at 5:15 p.m.
Base reflectivity image at 5:15 p.m. Base velocity image at 5:15 p.m.
 
DAMAGE IMAGES