A dome of high pressure has settled over the Heartland, bringing warm, dry air and clear skies. Here in Missouri, we expect afternoon highs in the mid 70s F to low 80s F over the next few days.
Highs across the Southern Plains will push into the 90s F and strong, clockwise winds around the rim of the dome will fuel the risk of wildfires; most of eastern Colorado is currently under of red flag warning.
This heat wave, producing high temperatures 20 degrees F above "normal" will end with a bang. Thunderstorms, some severe and harboring tornados, will develop as a cold front pushes down from the northwest. After a high near 80 F on Tuesday, we expect a high in the low 40s F on Wednesday. Once again, dramatic temperature swings and intense storms are becoming the norm as our climate warms.
