BLOG: Lighting up the sky

We had severe weather push through the area last evening which prompted a tornado warning for Eastern Baltimore County and Southeastern Harford County around 10:30 P.M. There was also a plethora of severe thunderstorm warnings issued by the National Weather Service. The storms produced hail the size of quarters, damaging winds in excess of 60 mph and dangerous lightning.

Lightning is the most underrated severe weather hazards but  because we are around lightning so much we generally don’t pay it much attention.  When thunderstorms have vivid lightning like we saw yesterday afternoon and evening, it is because there is a tremendous amount of heat and humidity available before the storm. Before the storms rolled in on Tuesday, the dew points, which measure the moisture in the air, were in the upper 60s to low 70s.  Upper 60s to low 70s mean that the air is really moist, oppressive even, so there was ample moisture to work with.

The storms put on a spectacular lightning show but in the same breath we have to remember lightning ranks as one of the top weather related killers in the United States. Never forget that when lightning roars go indoors!!