As a powerful Pacific storm system spun its way along the U.S.-Canadian border yesterday, its cold front stretched from the Upper Midwest to the Southern Plains, producing a broad swath of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, large hail, high winds and torrential rain.
Millions of Americans, ourselves included, were glued to their TVs and computer screens, waiting to see if their community would be damaged or spared. Even before this storm system arrived, severe flooding had developed in Wisconsin from storms deflected northward by the Southeastern ridge. Here in Columbia, tornado sirens blared by mid evening as a twister passed just south and east of our city.
Meanwhile, on the back side of the system, cold air plunged southward, bringing snow to the Northern Plains and, finally, to the Front Range of Colorado. As the storm pushes eastward in the coming days, its severity will diminish as its forward speed increases; nevertheless, more flooding and wind damage is expected before it heads out to sea.
