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Tropical Depression Cindy Brings Stormy Weather to Southern U.S.

Tropical Depression Cindy brought stormy weather to parts of the southern U.S. on Thursday.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Depression Cindy was located at latitude 33.1°N and 93.5°W which put it about 70 miles (115 km) southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas.  Cindy was moving toward the north-northeast at 12 m.p.h. (19 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 20 m.p.h. (30 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 30 m.p.h. (50 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1000 mb.

Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall early on Thursday morning near the border between Texas and Louisiana.  Cindy moved steadily northward during the day and it was centered over southwestern Arkansas by Thursday night.  Broad counterclockwise rotation around Cindy transported warm and very humid air over the southern U.S.  Bands of showers and thunderstorms dropped locally heavy rain in some places.  Rivers and streams were above flood stage in several southern states.  Flash Flood Warnings and Flash Flood Watches were issued for portions of the southern U.S. and Ohio River Valley.  Several tornadoes formed in the bands of thunderstorms.  A tornado in Alabama caused property damage.  Southerly winds blowing toward the shore were still causing storm surges along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Depression Cindy is forecast to move northeast toward the Ohio River Valley on Friday.  It will continue to produce locally heavy rain.  A slow moving cold front will approach the region from the west.  A band of stronger convergence could develop where the counterclockwise flow around Cindy interacts with the flow along the cold front.  Higher rainfall totals may occur where this interaction happens.  Wind shear created by the interacting weather systems could also create the potential for some tornadoes.  Tropical Depression Cindy could merge with the cold front during Friday night or Saturday.

Tropical Depression Bill Bringing Storms to Lower Ohio Valley

The circulation around Tropical Depression Bill brought strong storms to the Lower Ohio River Valley on Friday.  At 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the center of Tropical Depression Bill was located at latitude 37.1°N and longitude 90.1°W which put it about 30 miles (50 km) west of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  Bill was moving toward the east-northeast at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 25 m.p.h., but there were higher gusts in thunderstorms.  The minimum surface pressure was 1004 mb.

The circulation around Tropical Depression Bill retained enough tropical characteristics on Friday to be considered a tropical cyclone.  There was still evidence of a warm core in the middle troposphere with a strong center of circulation at the surface and divergent outflow in the upper levels.  Spiral bands of showers and thunderstorms continued to rotate cyclonically around the center, and some thunderstorms approached severe criteria.  A stationary frontal boundary ran from New Jersey across Ohio to central Missouri.  However, the circulation around the tropical depression was south of the boundary and it was clearly a distinct area of low pressure.

Tropical Depression Bill is expected to continue its east-northeasterly motion during the weekend.  It will pass south of Ohio on Saturday and cross New Jersey on Sunday.  The tropical depression will continue to produce locally heavy rainfall and the potential for isolated severe thunderstorms.

Tropical Depression Bill Bringing Rain to Arkansas and Missouri

Tropical Depression Bill continued its slow movement over the South Central U.S. on Thursday and it brought rain to Arkansas and southern Missouri.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Depression Bill was located at latitude 35.9°N and longitude 93.8°W which put it about 20 miles (30 km) east of Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Bill was moving toward the east-northeast at 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 20 m.p.h. (30 km/h) and the minimum surface pressure was 1005 mb.

Even thought the center of Bill has been over land for more than 48 hours, it retains many of the characteristics of a tropical cyclone.  It has a well defined cyclonic circulation with a warm core in the middle troposphere and there is upper level divergence.  As a result, Bill is still officially classified as a tropical depression.

Bill is moving around the western end of a high pressure system centered over the Atlantic Ocean.  It should continue to move toward the east-northeast during the next several days.  On its anticipated track Bill will bring rain to northern Arkansas and southern Missouri on Friday.  It will move up the Ohio River Valley on Saturday and enhance the rainfall in those areas.  The circulation of the tropical depression could merge with a nearly stationary frontal boundary north of the Ohio River during the weekend.  Heavy rain falling on saturated ground could create the potential for flooding in some areas.

Tropical Depression Bill Crossing Red River Into Oklahoma

Tropical Depression Bill moved northward across north Texas on Wednesday and brought heavy rain to parts of Texas and Oklahoma.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Tropical Depression Bill was located at latitude 33.7°N and longitude 97.3°W which put it about 65 miles (105 km) north-northwest of Dallas, Texas.  Bill was moving toward the north at 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 30 m.p.h. (50 km/h).  There were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) in some thunderstorms.  The minimum surface pressure was 999 mb.

Bill still has a well organized circulation at the surface and throughout the troposphere.  There is still a warm core in the middle troposphere and divergence in the upper levels.  The upper level divergence pumped out the same amount of mass as converged in the lower levels and the surface pressure remained constant on Wednesday.  Some drier air is wrapping around the southern part of the circulation and most of the rain is falling north and east of the center.  The slow movement of Bill has generated significant amounts of rain and flooding is occurring in some parts of Texas and Oklahoma.  A few thunderstorms have also produced damaging wind gusts.

Bill is expected to turn toward the northeast as is moves around the western end of a high pressure system centered off the southeast coast of the U.S.  It will move slowly across Oklahoma on Thursday and across Arkansas on Friday before moving up the Ohio River Valley during the weekend.