Daily Severe Weather Spreading East

Cold front will slowly move eastward through the heart of the nation through the end of this week and weekend. In its advance warm and moister air will exist and it will mix, along the front, with cooler air. This will help to trigger thunderstorms and some of these will be strong and severe in nature. For your Thursday, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a large area of SLIGHT RISK across much of the Upper Mississippi Valley southwestward into Kansas. Strong instability and vertical wind shear will lend to the development of some supercell storms with tornadic potential, especially from northeast Kansas into southwest Minnesota. I would not be surprised if a moderate risk of severe weather is outlined by SPC in the morning for Thursday.

By Friday, the severe threat shifts eastward to the Mississippi River from Minneapolis southward to New Orleans. The SPC has encompassed the region surrounding the Mississippi River with a SLIGHT RISK. Similar to Thursday, significant parameters such as low level moisture, instability and shear will exist to set up the potential for tornadoes, especially along the Lower Mississippi Valley. I also anticipate a moderate risk being issued for much of Louisiana, Arkansas and southern Missouri for Friday.

Saturday, the severe weather emphasis will move further east, into the Ohio Valley/Mid South. It will also stretch southwestward back into eastern Texas. Current computer modeling indicates the threat of a significant severe weather event across east Texas into Louisiana with the threat for large hail and tornadoes. I will take another look at this with Thursday's post.