With a nod to James Taylor, Texas is the land of fire and rain this evening. A strong spring storm, currently centered over Nebraska, is sweeping its potent cold front across the Southern Plains.
Behind the Dry Line, strong southwesterly winds are fanning the flames of numerous wildfires in drought-plagued West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Ahead of the front, Gulf of Mexico moisture is streaming northwestward into East Texas, setting the stage for strong thunderstorms, tornados and torrential rain as the cold front pushes across that region.
Here along the Colorado Front Range, we are receiving "backside" chilly rain which will mix with snow after the sun sets. But the greatest concern for extreme weather will be in the Southeastern States, where the colder, drier air will push into a "juicy" atmosphere; by tomorrow morning, bands of severe thunderstorms, many spawning tornados, will build across Louisiana, Mississippi and neighboring States, marching eastward through the week.
