WeatherFanatics: More Severe Storms, Tornadoes May Build in Plains Next Week

Friday, May 2, 2014

More Severe Storms, Tornadoes May Build in Plains Next Week

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

May 3,2014; 12:44AM,EDT

Another round of severe weather may erupt over the Great Plains next week, and it could span multiple days over the Central states.
First, the nation will get a few more days to dry out and clean up from the violent weather of the past week.
A storm is then forecast to move in from the Pacific Ocean and into the Northwest this weekend. Once the storm moves across the Rockies, hot and humid air will build northward over the Plains through next week.

As this storm begins to interact with heat and humidity, shifting winds will assist in development thunderstorms starting late Wednesday and Wednesday night.
According to AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Storm Warning Meteorologist Justin Pullin, "Isolated thunderstorms with large hail and strong wind gusts will develop from northwestern Texas to Kansas late Wednesday."
These storms will fire along what is known as a dry line which separates desert air from the West and humid Gulf of Mexico air from the east.

"Another batch of storms is likely to erupt from eastern Nebraska and Iowa to parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Wednesday night into Thursday," Pullin said.
These storms will develop along a warm front, which separates the cool air to the north from warm, moist air to the south.
"The storms along the warm front can bring torrential rainfall, large hail and a few tornadoes," Pullin said.
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As the large storm system pushes east of the Rockies on Thursday and Friday, so will the threat of severe weather.
"During Thursday and Friday the storms will push across the Mississippi Valley with the potential for damaging winds, hail and flash flooding to a few tornadoes," Pullin said.
The extent of dry conditions over Colorado, New Mexico and the neighboring Plains states could impact nearby thunderstorm formation.
"We are at the point where the drought in the region is feeding upon itself," AccuWeather Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Executive Mike Smith said. "By that I mean, the extremely dry air over the southern High Plains moves out to the east and can snuff out thunderstorms even when many of the other atmospheric conditions are favorable."

Drought continues to build over the region and has reached exceptional levels from northwest Texas to western Oklahoma, eastern New Mexico and part of southeastern Colorado.

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