Supercell with Incredible Structure, Norman Oklahoma, September 24, 2024

On September 24, 2024, the SPC issued a slight risk of severe weather for central OK, focused on the potential for a few supercells producing large hail. While the main upper-level trough was beginning to depart to the east, strong westerly winds at 500 mb remained over the area. Additionally, the left-exit region of a jet streak on the western flank of the trough moved into the area. This allowed for a weak surface low with central OK near the triple point where the warm and cold fronts met. Within this area, weak SW winds in the warm sector, combined with westerly winds aloft, allowed for veering wind profiles and sufficient speed and directional shear for supercells.

At around 5pm CDT, a discrete cell formed northwest of Oklahoma City and moved southeastward. This storm dominated the local environment and quickly grew into a cyclonic, right turning supercell. The storm dropped baseball sized hail in parts of OKC before moving south into Norman. Despite the rather modest parameters, the supercell managed to develop incredible structure with a textbook mesocyclone, complete with a wall cloud. I stayed out of the foreward flank downdraft and hail core, allowing the storm to move just to my east. The two time lapses show textbook supercell structure with an occlusion of the low-level circulation also visible in the second time lapse toward the end of the video.

Soundtrack: Metamorphosis by Quincas Moreira