Increasing Severe Weather Threat

More severe weather on the way for the Plains and Midwest. A warm front will slowly shift north with the center of low pressure to the east. This front will create a trigger for thunderstorms. Likewise, a cold front will persist in western areas, where the severe threat is highest. Meanwhile, humid and warmer air will continue to surge north, straight from the Gulf of Mexico. More thunderstorms are likely for the rest of the week.

First Day of Another Severe Pattern

A large trough will build in the western half of the country. This feature will lead to a prolonged severe weather threat for the Midwest all week long. Here is the threat for today as the warm and humid air begins to build. More severe weather tomorrow and through Friday. Stay tuned.

Severe Weather to Make a Strong Return

Severe weather returns this week for the midwest. Starting tomorrow in western areas as a piece of energy works in. A larger, more widespread threat shows itself Tuesday as the warm front moves in. Then Wed./Thur. a humid air mass will create the possibility for scattered strong/severe storms. More storms on Friday as the cold front pushed in. Be sure to check back here for details throughout the week.

Severe Weather Continues

After a long 2-3 days of Oklahoma tornadoes  including the historic EF5/EF4 tornado to strike Moore, OK, the tornado threat now shifts south. East Texas looks to be the hardest hit, with watches and warnings already issued this morning. For the Midwest, damaging winds and large hail are the primary threat. As always, we cannot rule out isolated tornadoes, nothing in line with the Moore tornado. A cold front will move in later today and tonight and stabilize the atmosphere, with scattered showers to follow through the middle of the week.

Severe Weather to Continue...

After a day of destructive tornados and live shots in the OKC area, the severe weather will persist into the week. Conditions will be even more favorable for widespread severe weather tomorrow. On the left is our outlook for tonight and mostly tomorrow. Right now there are large thunderstorms up and down the Mississippi, with severe weather occurring  Whenever you see severe weather continue through the night, a strong low pressure with ideal severe weather conditions is  occurring. Since much of the energy in severe weather comes from the sun, this situation is slightly uncommon.

Dangerous Tornadoes Possible Sunday

With nearly 150 reports of severe weather today, tomorrow looks to be just as active. Classic ingredients will come together during peak daytime heating. Long track tornadoes are possible, as today (see pic below). More of a hail and damaging wind threat in more northern areas. Monday could also be just as active in areas slightly more to the east.

Below is a pic courtesy of Reed Timmer of a large, textbook-like tornado:

Strong Thunderstorms for Minnesota overnight

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes have hit Nebraska and South Dakota, the same cluster is forecasted to hold together and move through Minnesota. Be sure to have those weather radios on or cell phone turned up so you can be ready.

Day One of Severe Weather Pattern Hit Tomorrow

Here we go, a 3-4 day severe weather pattern will get going starting tomorrow. This does include a high threat of damaging tornadoes, mostly in Kansas and Nebraska as we head into Saturday afternoon. The orange shaded area shows the possibility of severe weather within your county. A red area denotes a moderate threat of severe weather, and if you live in this area be on the lookout for watches and warnings Saturday! They will be hit or miss storms, but will hit hard. The threat slowly shifts easts throughout the weekend, and Sunday looks to be the worst, in terms of population and threat.

SPC Discussion and chatter about severe weather threat Saturday:

DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1229 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2013
   
   VALID 181200Z - 191200Z
   
   ...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF NWRN KS/SWRN
   NEB...
   
   ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS SURROUNDING THE MDT RISK FROM
   EXTREME NWRN TX INTO SERN ND/NWRN MN...
   
   ...PLAINS...
   
   LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT REGARDING THE
   EVOLUTION OF UPPER TROUGH AS IT PROGRESSES ACROSS THE WRN U.S. INTO
   THE HIGH PLAINS LATE IN THE PERIOD.  OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IS THE
   EXPECTED INCREASE IN MID LEVEL FLOW INTO THE HIGH PLAINS ATOP AN
   INCREASINGLY MOIST/BUOYANT AIRMASS.  LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY
   DEPICTS EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS ACROSS OK WITH A DECIDEDLY ELY LOW
   LEVEL COMPONENT WITHIN THE BOUNDARY LAYER.  THIS CLOUDINESS WILL BE
   STUBBORN TO ERODE DURING THE DAY1 PERIOD AND IN THE ABSENCE OF
   MEANINGFUL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS THE SRN/CNTRL PLAINS THROUGH
   SATURDAY MORNING ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD RAPIDLY RETURN
   ACROSS KS INTO NEB SATURDAY.
   
   LATEST THINKING IS WARM ADVECTION MAY DRIVE A BOUT OF EARLY MORNING
   CONVECTION ACROSS PARTS OF THE ERN DAKOTAS BENEATH MODEST LLJ. 
   WHILE THIS ACTIVITY MAY PRODUCE SOME HAIL...IT SHOULD SPREAD EWD
   INTO THE UPPER MS VALLEY DURING THE MID DAY HOURS AS A WEAK BRANCH
   OF THE LLJ FOCUSES INTO THIS REGION.
   
   LATEST SHORT RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE INSISTS STRONG HEATING WILL OCCUR
   ACROSS SERN CO INTO NWRN TX.  THIS SHOULD ALLOW DRYLINE TO MIX TO A
   POSITION NEAR THE OK BORDER...ARCING NWWD TO A SFC LOW OVER WRN KS
   BY 19/00Z.  WITH SFC DEW POINTS EXPECTED TO RISE WELL INTO THE
   MID-UPPER 60S EAST OF THE DRYLINE...EXTREME INSTABILITY MAY DEVELOP
   ALONG A CORRIDOR FROM WRN OK INTO NWRN KS WHERE SBCAPE COULD EXCEED
   4000 J/KG.  AS TEMPERATURES WARM INTO THE LOWER 90S ACROSS THE TX
   PANHANDLE INTO SWRN KS INHIBITION WILL BE NEGATED AND DISCRETE
   SUPERCELL STRUCTURES ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.  HAVE INCREASED THE
   SEVERE PROBS ACROSS PORTIONS OF KS/NEB AS THIS PORTION OF THE CNTRL
   PLAINS SHOULD EXPERIENCE STRONGER DEEP LAYER SHEAR...POTENTIALLY
   SUPPORTIVE OF TORNADOES.  LATEST 12Z NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS STRONGLY
   SUPPORT SUPERCELLS ACROSS THE MDT RISK REGION WITH SBCAPE IN EXCESS
   OF 4000 J/KG WITH SFC-6KM SHEAR ON THE ORDER OF 40KT. 
   ADDITIONALLY...VERY LARGE HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY ANY SUPERCELLS THAT
   DEVELOP SATURDAY.  LATEST FORECAST HAIL ALGORITHMS SUGGEST HAIL
   COULD EASILY EXCEED BASEBALL SIZE WITH ORGANIZED ACTIVITY.
   
   SOMEWHAT WEAKER DEEP LAYER FLOW ACROSS THE SRN PLAINS MAY LIMIT
   OVERALL SEVERE THREAT AND FOR THIS REASON HAVE ONLY EXTENDED 15
   PERCENT THREAT INTO PORTIONS OF NWRN TX.
   
   ...TN VALLEY/CNTRL GULF STATES...
   
   WEAKENING UPPER TROUGH WILL TRANSLATE INTO THE MIDDLE TN VALLEY/NRN
   GULF STATES SATURDAY.  MODEST NWLY FLOW ALONG BACKSIDE OF THIS
   FEATURE MAY PROVIDE ENOUGH SHEAR FOR ORGANIZED MULTI-CELL UPDRAFTS
   CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SOME HAIL/WIND.  THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD BE
   MODULATED BY DIURNAL HEATING AND SHOULD WEAKEN WITH AFTER SUNSET.
   
   ..DARROW.. 05/17/2013

Severe Weather Season Heating up

A major severe weather outbreak is possible for the end of this week and even more so on Monday. A warming Midwest west will set up on Saturday and Sunday to create necessary instability. An upper level area of low pressure will move into the Plains for Saturday. Severe weather possible. Then, a strong cold front will then crash in and fire up storms along itself. The exact area where these interactions is still a little in question, being four days away, but we thought is was time to alert everyone to this developing situation. More information in the coming days.  

More Snow For the Midwest

Cold front, closed low, record highs, and record lows. This storm system really has it all. Today and tonight will bring heavy snow to the same areas hit with constant winter storms the past few weeks. Up to 8" and possibly 10" can be expected in the darker shadings. Take a look at the current temperatures in the region by clicking on the "current weather" tab and you will see a major contrast. 80s to the east and 20s in the west. This storm already dumped over a foot of snow just west of Denver! No matter what, the snow will melt quickly and summer is just around the corner.