This morning, a massive spring storm, centered over southwest Kansas, is producing severe weather and travel problems across the Heartland. Like a giant pinwheel, the storm is pulling in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and dropping heavy rain on the south-central States. Along its northern edge, this moisture is entering cooler air and, as it is swept westward, is bringing "upslope" snow to the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming.
On the south side of the storm, the collision of dry, cooler air from the west with warm, moist air from the southeast, has been igniting powerful thunderstorms since yesterday afternoon. The intersection of the westerly jet stream, southerly flow ahead of the front and easterly winds from the preceding system is triggering rotation in these storms, resulting in numerous tornadoes across the Southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley.
Here in central Missouri, east winds from the last front are keeping the air cool and stable, preventing the development of severe weather. Heavy rains are forecast but, unless the storm pulls warm, unstable air into our region (as it moves to the northeast), the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes should stay to our south and east.
