As a potent storm sweeps across the Midwest, several bands of thunderstorms have moved through Columbia. Though none have been severe, they have dropped heavy rain.
Ironically, as the skies have cleared this afternoon, our risk for supercell thunderstorms and potential tornadoes has increased. The center of low pressure now sits over eastern Nebraska and the cold front bows southeastward, through western Iowa and eastern Kansas; moving into unstable air, enhanced by daytime heating, it is expected to ignite severe storms from Kansas City to Chicago with the greatest risk of tornadoes in northern Missouri, eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois.
Currently bathed in sunshine, with temperatures in the low 70s (F), we are now in the risk zone and are under a tornado watch until 9 PM; had cloud cover persisted through this afternoon, the atmospheric instability would be less. Sometimes, sunshine can be problematic.
Ironically, as the skies have cleared this afternoon, our risk for supercell thunderstorms and potential tornadoes has increased. The center of low pressure now sits over eastern Nebraska and the cold front bows southeastward, through western Iowa and eastern Kansas; moving into unstable air, enhanced by daytime heating, it is expected to ignite severe storms from Kansas City to Chicago with the greatest risk of tornadoes in northern Missouri, eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois.
Currently bathed in sunshine, with temperatures in the low 70s (F), we are now in the risk zone and are under a tornado watch until 9 PM; had cloud cover persisted through this afternoon, the atmospheric instability would be less. Sometimes, sunshine can be problematic.
