Some locations in Iowa just to the southeast of Des Moines near Pella experienced a somewhat rare phenomena known as a heat burst. The signature for these events can easily be identified when high resolution in time observation data is available. They are marked by a period of rapid increase in temperature, decrease in dew point, and typically gusty winds. They are caused by rain showers that rapidly decay causing very warm and dry air to rush to the ground. The featured chart presents a time series from the Twin Cedars KCCI-TV SchoolNet site near Bussey. The period shaded in blue is roughly the length of the event, just 18 minutes. Other observation stations in the vicinity recorded this event as well with a wind gust topping out at 78mph (Pella RWIS) and a temperature rise of 14 degrees Fahrenheit (Pella SchoolNet). With once per hour observations, these events typically go unnoticed. Our period of active weather will continue into the weekend!

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Tags:   heatburst   schoolnet