Morning Atmospheric Overview:
The large scale, (or synoptic scale), weather pattern in place on this date was characterized by a northward-lifting upper-level low pressure system across Nebraska and South Dakota. As a result, the mid-level flow across Texas was actually quite weak--only on the order of 30 knots or so--with most large scale forcing (or lift) displaced well to the north across the Central and Northern Great Plains. This weather pattern was far from a classic severe weather set-up for the region, and certainly one that did not portend the eventual occurrence of 20 tornadoes, one of which would grow into a three-quarter mile wide F5 as it plowed through the town of Jarrell during the mid-afternoon.
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(Left): 500 mb (~20,000 feet) analysis, valid at 7 am CDT on May 27th, 1997. An upper-level area of low pressure can be seen lifting across Nebraska and South Dakota. A weak surface low across eastern Arkansas is also associated with a weak cold front which extends southwestward into Central Texas. (Right): same as on the left, except valid at 8 PM that evening.
