Tornadoes, Large Hail Ravaging Colorado, Kansas, Texas
This video has the latest update on the severe weather threat on the Plains.
The stage is set for a major outbreak of potentially life-threatening and destructive thunderstorms over Texas and the southern Plains through Friday.
This situation represents the greatest severe thunderstorm and tornado threat for 2010 thus far. Already, there have been over two dozen reports of tornadoes this afternoon and evening across eastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas and northwestern Texas.
As energy from a storm in the West rolls eastward and gathers moisture, powerful thunderstorms, capable of spawning tornadoes, will continue forming over the southern Plains, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
A significant number of thunderstorms will bring enough heavy rain to blind motorists and cause flash flooding, winds strong enough to down trees and remove roofs, and hail large enough to break windows and dent vehicles.
If this were any other year, we would most certainly have an event rivaling some of the most destructive outbreaks in past years. However, marginal humidity levels, which have been a problem so far this season, will continue to mediate the atmosphere.
That being said, humidity levels (dew points) are rising from south to north from Texas to southern Kansas, enough to support a number of severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes.
Where this more humid air collides with dry air from the deserts is where the greatest risk of tornadoes exists through tonight, namely from the northern Texas Panhandle to western Kansas and eastern Colorado through tonight.
The high-risk area will shift farther east Friday, along and ahead of the push of dry air. By then, a zone of sufficiently high dew point air should lie from the upper Texas coast and much of Louisiana northward to eastern Kansas and much of Missouri.
This is a very dangerous weather situation, and people from the southern Plains to the lower and middle Mississippi Valley are encouraged to treat the weather during the next few days with great respect, despite a lack of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes so far this year.
Repeating showers and thunderstorms flooded portions of northern and central Kansas Thursday morning. These drenching storms were focusing on the Kansas City area and much of central Missouri this evening.
By Saturday, the threat of violent thunderstorms and flash flooding will cross the Mississippi River, threatening areas and weekend outdoor activities from the Ohio and Tennessee valleys to part of the Deep South.
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 78° | Needles, CA |
| Low | -20° | Fosston, MN |
| Precip | 0.66" | Chatham, MA |
WeatherWhys®
The "Dead of Winter," the one-month period when normal temperatures reach their lowest levels, has come to an end for much of the United States. Some people may find it odd that the "Dead of Winter" does not encompass the darkest day of the year (the first day of winter). That is due to a seasonal lag in temperatures. More heat continues to be lost than is gained from the start of winter until this time of year.
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