From a weather perspective, it is always an adventure to travel across the Great Plains of North America. This morning, after creeping through heavy rain and dodging thunderstorms in Missouri, I was greeted by a clear blue sky as I crossed into Kansas. While such an abrupt change is usually encountered when a strong cold front pushes into warm, humid air, the air in Kansas was hot and dry, indicating that I had entered a dome of high pressure.
Indeed, the skies were nearly cloudless until I reached Junction City; from that location, I could see clouds off to the northwest, likely forming along the northern edge of the dome. Reaching the southern extent of that cloud mass in Salina, I was more captivated by conditions on the ground; widespread damage to road signs, trees and a few ranch buildings indicated that one or more tornadoes had recently raked that city.
While the heat and sunny skies persisted all the way to Hays (my overnight rest stop), the clouds north of my route continued to expand and most of northeastern Kansas is now under a tornado watch; in addition, a line of thunderstorms has formed from southwestern Kansas to the tornado watch zone (erupting along the western edge of the heat dome). Another spectacular light show is anticipated.
