Story Created:
May 27, 2009 at 8:56 PM CST
Story Updated:
May 27, 2009 at 8:56 PM CST
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for north Texas on Tuesday May 28th. This was the first weather watch that's been issued in about 2 weeks anywhere in the U.S. It's been many years since we've gone that long without a weather watch during the month of May, which is the most active months for severe weather and tornadoes of the year...
We have what's called a "blocky" weather pattern across the globe. There are areas of high pressure that acts like a wall that are placed in several areas. One has been across the north Atlantic. The other has been across Alaska. This is keeping storm systems from progressing across the world.
It's this pattern that has kept the jet stream locked up in Canada. This has created very weak winds across the lower 48 in the upper levels of the atmosphere. This has kept storm systems weak and severe weather at a low. You need the wind to help generate powerful thunderstorms. This keeps rain from falling into the updrafts, where warm, moist air feed the storm. The rain, cools this area and causes the storm to be short lived and weak. The lack of winds has also kept storms from spinning.
I expect this blocky pattern with limited chances for severe weather to continue into the first few days of June. But there is some sign of life around the early to mid June time frame. There is reason to believe that the jet stream could take a dip again, producing some stronger winds in the upper atmosphere again across the middle and northern part of the country and severe weather could become active, especially in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas...As well as Colorado. Some of this could affect the Texas Panhandle and northern Oklahoma...
