Unlike recent cold fronts, our current trough has tapped a fetch of Gulf moisture and cold rain is falling across central Missouri. Though the rain will be short-lived and modest in quantity, it has temporarily doused our image of a crisp and sunny Midwest autumn.
Such bands of rainfall, caused by the same atmospheric clash that brings early spring showers, are more common in autumn than we care to admit. An unruly jet stream characterizes both seasons, mixing chilly air from the north with a warm, moist flow from the south. The result, raw days with cold rain and shifting winds, is perhaps the least favored weather of nature's year.
While spring showers are often welcomed, ushering in the season of growth and renewal, autumn rains are recognized as the vanguard of a deeper chill. The wet leaves and muddy fields that they leave behind offer little promise of brighter and warmer days ahead. Rather, these autumn rains lead toward the dark, cold realm of winter where, in time, they will convert to a seasonal mix of sleet and snow.
