The Heat Burst of 29 May 1976

Abstract

An unusual phenomenon occurred in central Oklahoma in the late evening and early morning hours of 29–30 May 1976; surface temperatures suddenly rose as much as 6°C. The sudden large temperature rise and humidity fall which sometimes accompanies nocturnal thunderstorms defines the heat burst. The origin of a heat burst may be adiabatic subsidence near dissipating or rear edges or storms. In addition to increasing temperature and falling relative humidity, the hear burst is characterized by the erosion of clouds and radar echoes, and gusty winds. This paper documents the mesoscale events associated with this phenomenon.