SUBVORTEX STATUS MESSAGE

DATE: 5/31/98
STATUS: NO-GO

EQUIPMENT STATUS:

  Mobile Mesonets: FC needs new RH sensor
  DOWS: Unknown
  UMASS Radar: down indefinitely
  Rockets: not operational
  Turtles:  operational
  RALPH and BOB:  operational
  NOAA P-3:   unknown

SYNOPSIS:

Upper ridge has strengthened to climatologically extreme strength, with 500
mB temperatures near -1 over TX.  The surface cold front will lead to
convergence across OK, S KS, and N TX today, but hot temperatures aloft
will preclude thunderstorm development.


DAY 1 FORECAST:

No convection.


DAY 2 FORECAST:

Moisture will be absent after the passage of the Day 1 cold front;
temperatures aloft will remain scorching.  No convection.


DAY n FORECAST:

Long range progs indicate that a shortwave will be moving into the High
Plains toward Wed or Thur, and then into the Plains and Midwest.  The ridge
will weaken slightly as this passes.  It is possible that upslope and deep
shear may support supercells later this week in the High Plains from W TX
to CO/WY.  We will be watching this pattern evolve.



MISCELLANEOUS:

subVORTEX was badly battered, bruised, and burned yesterday as we chased a
tornadic supercell across IA.  When we closed in for the intercept, the
storm dissipated.