Prolonged wind events that release strong precipitation and distant trips are sometimes qualified as derecho.
Derechos can occur almost everywhere in the United States, but are the most frequent in the central and eastern regions of the country. Winds generally have a burst of more than 60 MPH (97 km / h) and can cause damage comparable to tornadoes or hurricanes.
Here is what you need to know about this infrequent form of extreme time.
What is a derecho?
A derecho is a line of long -term storms that often produces extreme wind damage, said Gino Izzi, meteorologist at the National Service Office in Chicago. Derechos can last eight hours or more and travel hundreds of kilometers (kilometers) across the country with winds generally blowing more than 60 MPH (97 km / h). “There were cases where Derechos left Iowa to Washington, DC,” said Izzi.
Due to the intense winds in a straight line and long distances that a deecho can browse, the damage they cause are sometimes comparable to the destructive forces of tornadoes or hurricanes. Hurricane are low -pressure systems that are formed on tropical or subtropical ocean waters and have organized the activity of thunderstorms, according to the national ocean and atmospheric administration.
The unstable air that is hot and humid is favorable to the formation of derecho. Derechos can occur at any time of the year, but July and early August are highlighted hours for this type of extreme time, said Izzi.
Derechos is an unusual meteorological event and generally a small number occurs every year, but Izzi said that several years could pass without registered derecho.
There are different types of derecho. The serial derechos tend to form with great powerful storms and generally occur in early spring, fall and early winter. Progressive derechos are generally smaller and tend to form in summer while they feed on hot and humid conditions. Hybrid derechos have characteristics of serial and progressive types.
Derechos’ favorable conditions can also lead to small tornadoeswhich are violently turning columns of a thunderstorm and reach the ground. Derechos tends to produce much more widespread damage than tornadoes because they can produce a strip of damage which exceeds 100 miles (160 kilometers) in width, while the damage caused by violent tornadoes are generally lower than a mile (1.6 kilometer).
Security advice includes the use of a radio to listen to forecasts, the monitoring of NWS serious weather alerts and to have access to a solid shelter. “It can go from a good calm weather to 100 miles per hour that blows trees in a few minutes,” said Izzi.
Where are Derechos formed?
Derechos can occur almost everywhere in the United States, but are the most frequent in the central and eastern regions of the United States.
Progressive derechos tend to promote the northern and central plains to the east in the Midwest, the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley region. Indeed, the domes of heat can form through the central parts of the United States and the derechos tend to form on the northern and northeast flanks of the dome where there are high levels of atmospheric instability. This also tends to be where Jet Stream winds are stronger. Humidity of crops like corn, also known as corn sweatAlso amplifies how unstable hot and humid air is.
A 2003 derecho traveled from Arkansas through several southern states, including Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Two people died and 11 were injured.
A 2009 storm nicknamed a super derecho by western meteorologists from western Kansas in the east of Kentucky. This caused several deaths and injuries and more than $ 500 million in damages when he had traveled more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers).
A Derecho 2020 which has traveled from the east of Nebraska through Iowa and in certain parts of Wisconsin and Illinois has reached the wind speed of a major hurricane. The Storm prediction center of the National Weather Service reported winds approaching 100 mph (160 km / h) in places. In Cedar Rapids, in Iowa, residents are emerged from their house to find that 100,000 trees had been broken or torn.
In December 2021A deecho in the large plains and the top of the Midwest caused at least 45 tornadoes, caused generalized damage and killed at least five people.
Derechos can cause sudden floods
Derechos can be associated with a strip of thunderstorms with a slow or almost stationary movement. This could potentially cause strong precipitation and Sudden floods which can cause significant damage. The sudden floods associated with a derecho occurring from July 4 to 5, 1969, increased the Killbuck stream in Ohio over 20 feet (6 meters) above the normal level and at least two dozen deaths, according to Noaa.
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