Gust front of a severe thunderstorm

Tags

National Weather Service, Severe thunderstorm, SKYWARN, storm, storm spotter, wind

 

West End, NC.  4/19/13, 5:41 pm EDT.  Estimated wind speed 60 mph by radar per NWS Raleigh.  No damage visible at this location.

 

The area was under a tornado warning at the time, but the cell that prompted the warning had moved on to the northeast.  This  storm was part of a bowed line of very strong thunderstorms.  I’ve been a NWS SKYWARN storm spotter since 1999 and this is almost the strongest winds I’ve personally witnessed.