Wichita, Kansas Experiences Rare 'Heat Burst' Overnight

Video on Source site

Last night Wichita experienced a very rare weather phenomenon known as a "Heat Burst." At 12:22 a.m. the temperature at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport was 85 degrees. At 12:44 the temperature spiked to 102 degrees. This was a 17 degree increase in only 20 minutes. Winds also gusted between 50 and 60 MPH. The heat burst winds and temperatures rapidly dissipated as they spread across Sedgwick and Southern Butler Counties.

A heat burst is caused when rain falls into very dry air, high up in the atmosphere. The rain quickly evaporates as it falls through the dry parcel of air and that parcel cools rapidly. This dense mass falls rapidly toward the ground, heating up as it compresses. When this hot ball of air hits the ground it spreads out in every direction creating very strong, warm and dry winds.

A Heat Burst? I had no idea that these things even existed until I read this story.

Very interesting phenomenon and a little crazy at the same time. Imagine being outside and having this thing hit. I think I would fear the worst. "Ahh, a heat blast from a Nuke!!"

Anyway interesting phenomenon and here is some extra reading.

en.wikipedia.org...

I know it's wiki, but it helps understand.

www.theweatherprediction.com...

Any thoughts?

Pred...

Never heard of a "Heat Burst" either.

Could this be from the Sun?

Very Strange...

I meant COLD weapon!!!
Second.

It happens. Things have to be just right for it to, but it happens. But you will get plenty of ignorant folks coming in here and screaming project bluebeam or whatever.....but no conspiracy here, just physics...and simple physics at that.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Wow! Great post!
I've never heard of this phenomenon either!!!
S&F for posting this! Thanks!

Originally posted by MainLineThis
It happens. Things have to be just right for it to, but it happens. But you will get plenty of ignorant folks coming in here and screaming project bluebeam or whatever.....but no conspiracy here, just physics...and simple physics at that.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

That's how it seems to be IMO. Very cool though, and I had never heard of it before so I thought I would share as rare phenomenon are the best, especially when its natural.

Pred...

Originally posted by predator0187

Originally posted by MainLineThis
It happens. Things have to be just right for it to, but it happens. But you will get plenty of ignorant folks coming in here and screaming project bluebeam or whatever.....but no conspiracy here, just physics...and simple physics at that.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

That's how it seems to be IMO. Very cool though, and I had never heard of it before so I thought I would share as rare phenomenon are the best, especially when its natural.

Pred...

I never heard of it till I went and wiki'ed it. Some people have no idea what they're looking at.
But it is strange though, what I was thinking is why we didn't notice them 200 years+ ago was probably because there weren't as many cities as there are now

reply to post by Heartisblack


I think that is why we are seeing more and more of everything. Couple the fact that there is more of us with the amount of media (the internet) we find out about a lot of things we would usually have no idea about.

We know the instant an earthquake happens, anywhere in the world. We know almost anything instantly, before we would know about it days, weeks if not months after it happened so it would not even really affect us even if we did hear about it. Now we are real time.

Could be viewed as good or bad I guess....

Pred...

Originally posted by predator0187
reply to post by Heartisblack

 

I think that is why we are seeing more and more of everything. Couple the fact that there is more of us with the amount of media (the internet) we find out about a lot of things we would usually have no idea about.

We know the instant an earthquake happens, anywhere in the world. We know almost anything instantly, before we would know about it days, weeks if not months after it happened so it would not even really affect us even if we did hear about it. Now we are real time.

Could be viewed as good or bad I guess....

Pred...

edit on 9-6-2011 by predator0187 because: (no reason given)

Amen to that one, there's a website for cooking, cleaning, even websites for sex! What does that tell you ? We're so real time it's sick, normally I wouldn't know a damn thing If I wasn't sitting here!

Great thread!

Check out the heat burst in Kopperl, Texas sometime in the 60's Only reason I knew about it was a family member was there and basically scorched the farms into nothing.

Very interesting!!!!

I grew up in Wichita KS and will be doing more research as to what, scientifically, caused this. Not common at all.

I am another that has never heard of that either. I wonder if that is something else we will be seeing more of?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Was this localized to Kansas? There has been alot of sun activity this past week. Makes me wonder if there is a connection. But if localized to Kansas, probably not any connection

it was the otherway around in michigan last night. It went from about 90 yo about 75, 80 in about 5 minouts with about 50 mile a hour winds. I looked down the road thought I seen rain comeing till I started getting sand in my eyes

I remember reading a story about heat bursts in the midwestern US, I think it happened in the 1880's. These bursts were very out of the ordinary though, causing fires to ignite, burning towns.

I would appreciate it if anyone else has heard about those occurrences and would post about it or U2U me.

Edit to Add:
It may have connections to the Peshtigo and Chicago fires in 1871. Drought, high temps and a cyclonic storm all contributed to these fires...
The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871

What I remember was a story where someone researched fires as far away as Texas, where temperatures increased suddenly, to unheard of levels, causing brush and grass to spontaneously ignite.

reply to post by ButterCookie


To sum it up, from my understanding, this is basically what a heat burst is. A heat burst is in the same category as downdrafts more commonly known as micro and macro burst. You know the same ones that bring down airplanes.

Heat bursts occur in dieing thunderstorms at night time. The conditions have to be just right for them to occur so that's why they are extremely rare.

Basically when condensation occurs there is a lot of energy that is built up and it builds up heat. Well normally that energy is displaced in a normal thunderstorm and is cooled by precipitation and energy loss. However, in this instance the already heated air that forms in this thunderstorm updraft suddenly dies and the moist air above and dry air below the thunderstorm is funneled into a vicious downdraft.

The faster this air is channeled and compressed downwards the more it heats up until it eventually hits the ground and billows out which causes the fast wind speeds and rapid increase in temperature as this warm dry air settles into place.

The amount of dry warm air we're talking about is massive and heat bursts can last for several hours or more. Any humidity or moisture that was previously there is wiped out by this dry hot air.

For a more official and scientific explanations here are some good links:

www.weather.com...

www.crh.noaa.gov...

www.crh.noaa.gov...

Wow I had never heard of this natural phenomena until now. Thank you

It is quite a scary thought that it could set things alight. I would not want to be outside when it happens.

It would be really cool if someone was outside filming next to a thermometer and time lapsed it.

I'd like to see that along with the reaction of whomever filmed it.

Another link, this for marine heat bursts:

Brighthub.com- marine heat bursts