Clash of seasons: Warmth and thunderstorms in the Plains, snow in the mountains
As is often the case in October, multiple weather hazards will be present as a storm treks from the Rockies onto the Plains. Snow will fall in the mountains, while thunderstorms rumble in the Plains.
While it is only the middle of autumn and many locations still have leaves on the trees, snow made a visit to portions of the Rockies as early as Friday night. The first snow of the season made it as far south as Arizona. Flagstaff, Arizona, recorded over an inch of snow total from Friday night into Saturday morning. AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring the precipitation as it moves through the Rockies. By the time it reaches the Plains, the concern for snow will be replaced by thunderstorms.
On Monday, the storm will shift into the Plains, which will spark some thunderstorms in central Kansas, western Oklahoma and northwestern Texas.
Thunderstorms in this region could become severe Monday afternoon into the evening. Localized damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes are all in play for cities such as Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas. There will also be another concern.
"Due to limited moisture flowing out of the Gulf of Mexico, any thunderstorm could feature limited rainfall, heightening the risk for dry lightning strikes capable of producing wildfires," warned AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
In locations that miss out on the rain early this week, the next opportunity may not arrive for a while.
"So far this October, Amarillo, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and Oklahoma City have yet to record any measurable rainfall," said Buckingham. "If no rain falls over these cities Monday or Monday night, it may be another week or more before rain chances return."
Other cities in the region have also been very dry, some for the past two months.
Dry conditions will prevail north of the thunderstorms, where an August-like warmup will have people double-checking the calendar. Temperatures across the northern Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes will experience afternoon temperatures 15 to 25 degrees above the historical average for late October. With a breeze, warmth and dryness, there will also be an increasing concern for wildfires.
By the middle of this week, a cold front will bring an end to the warmth; however, very little rain will fall with this front. Even in locations that do receive a few showers, it will not be nearly enough to alleviate the growing drought.
Any cooldown is likely to be brief, with temperatures above the historical average will be likely to quickly return by the end of this week.
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