The heat burst of August 18, 2008

What happened

Late in the evening of August 18, 2008, a decaying thunderstorm moved east of Edmonton. It had been a hot day in the Capital Region, with high temperatures in the mid-30s.

By 10:37 PM MDT (0437Z) the temperature and dewpoint had cooled to 22/16. At 11:00 PM MDT a sudden gust of wind shot the temperature up to 28°C and the dewpoint down to 11°C. Later on in the event, the T/Td went to 31/10. This rapid warming and drying is a classic indication of a heat burst.

Shortly before midnight, it cooled off again, settling in to 25/15 by midnight.

Imagery

Reflectivity animation
The evening tephigram from the region

Here are the observations from the Edmonton City Centre Airport.

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