Sunday, June 30, 2024 southern New England Thunderstorm Discussion

 Currently, a northwest to southeast oriented warm front resides from the northern Great Lakes region into Canada southeast across Pennsylvania and into portions of the mid-Atlantic. This warm front accelerates northeast through the remainder of Saturday, advecting in a moisture rich, high theta-e airmass into New England with dewpoints likely into the lower 70's by early Sunday morning. 

Warm front position - early Saturday afternoon

Through the day today, a shortwave trough dives into the upper-Midwest and amplifies as it progresses across the northern Great Lakes region towards the northeast. The result will be unseasonably strong wind shear overspreading the region characterized by 40-50+ knots of bulk shear. In addition, winds in the lowest levels of the atmosphere in the wake of the warm front may remain more southerly with winds more west-southerly aloft. Where low-level winds remain more backed, large helicity values in the 0-1km and 0-3km are likely with as much as 150 m2s2 in the 0-1km layer and 150-200 m2s2 in the 0-3km layer. 

Forecast bulk shear values of 40-50+ knots. More than sufficient for thunderstorm organization.

At the surface, temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 70's to lower 80's with dewpoints into the lower 70's (even as high as 73-75°F should dewpoint pooling result). Depending on the extent of morning cloud cover and degree of heating, temperatures, especially in the valley, could soar as high as 83-85. Despite marginal mid-level lapse rates (~6 C/KM), the combination of surface temperatures into the lower 80's and dewpoints into the lower 70's may yield moderate instability characterized by mixed-layer CAPE values in the 1500-2000 J/KG range and surfaced-based CAPE values around 2000-2500 J/KG. It should be interesting to note some forecast model guidance is suggesting mixed-layer CAPE values could approach 2500+ J/KG with surface-based CAPE values exceeding 3000 J/KG. These values are difficult to obtain without mid-level lapse rates ~7 C/KM and greater, however, if surface temperatures can near 85 and dewpoints climb into the 74-75°F range, these values could become obtained. 

NAM forecast model developing 1500-2000+ J/KG of mixed-layer CAPE Sunday afternoon.

The combination of moderate instability and strong wind shear ahead of an approaching cold front and likely pre-frontal trough development will be more than favorable for scattered-to-numerous thunderstorms developing by early afternoon and organizing into one or multiple convective lines. This combination of ingredients is also supportive for the strongest thunderstorms to produce locally damaging wind gusts and perhaps even a tornado. 

There are some caveats, however, which may reduce a more organized severe weather episode from occurring. In addition to the marginal mid-level lapse rates, the strongest shortwave forcing remains displaced well to the west of the best overlap of shear/instability with forecast model guidance showing the best shortwave forcing still in southeast Canada between the mid-to-late afternoon. 

All in all, the expectation is scattered-to-numerous thunderstorms develop across interior southeast New York by early afternoon with activity quickly organizing into one or more convective lines. Should the more extreme instability scenarios verify (mixed-layer CAPE > 2000-2500 J/KG) potential for a more widespread damaging wind producing event will increase. Given the larger helicity values, there would even be potential for an embedded tornado or two. Any tornado potential would be highest with any discrete cells which form initially or out ahead of the line. Localized flash flooding will be a concern as well given PWAT values approaching and exceeding 2''.