During the warm season of 2007, much of the Southern Great Plains endured several periods of excessive rainfall. This excessive rainfall event consisted of two long-lived mesoscale convective vortices. The first dissipated and progressed eastward out of the SGP after approximately two days. The second transitioned into a fully-tropospheric warm-core circulation (WCC) for several days. This WCC was responsible for several extreme precipitation events, including the flooding in the vicinity of Austin, TX, on 27-28 June and near Coffeyville, KS, from 28 June to 1 July. These two events greatly affected the local communities, causing 11 deaths in Texas and spilling 42 000 gallons of crude oil into the Verdigris River in Kansas.

This study will focus on mechanisms for the development and persistence of these two extreme rainfall events. Specifically, the synoptic and sub-synoptic environments will be examined to determine their influence on the position and severity of these events. The forecast challenges associated with these events will be investigated and analogs will be considered.