While tornadoes are not uncommon in February across the Gulf Coast States, they are certainly unusual in the Midwest, where sufficient heat and humidity have historically been rare in the past. Last evening, however, several tornadoes developed across Illinois and Indiana as a potent cold front swept in from the northwest.
Bloomington, Indiana, appears to have received most of the damage though the tornado watch extended from the Mississippi Valley to central Ohio. Once again, our warming climate seemed to be at least partly responsible, both for the unusual February warmth and the potent storm that triggered the outbreak. Now centered over southern Wisconsin, this winter storm is expected to produce heavy snow across the Great Lakes Region and New England.
Here in Missouri, we experienced the strong, northwest winds and dramatic temperature drop behind the front (from the mid 60s F yesterday afternoon to low 20s F this morning) but dodged the tornadic thunderstorms. Several afternoons in the thirties will remind us that it is still February.
