KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Good morning bloggers,
A huge warm-up continues today and we may set a record high temperature on Wednesday. There is also some snow showing up on the models in the next couple of weeks as well. And, our tornado watch drought continues in our region. Let's begin with the fact that it has now been 1,008 days since the last tornado watch in parts of the Kansas City metro area.
Yes, it has been 1,008 days since Johnson and Wyandotte counties, in Kansas, have been under a tornado watch. What is a tornado watch? The Storm Prediction Center will issue a tornado watch when conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms that have the potential to produce a tornado. There is a difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been spotted, or our sophisticated radar systems show a signature that may be a tornado. There has actually been a tornado warning and a tornado in Johnson county in the past couple of years, but just no watch.
Take a look at the tornado watches issued in the past three years:
Tornado watches in 2022
Tornado watches in 2021
Notice the lack of tornado watches from Wichita to the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro area above, and then the huge area without a watch in 2020 below:
Tornado watches in 2020
It has been very quiet in Tornado Alley. One of the topics in our severe weather special on KSHB 41 will be on whether or not Tornado Alley has shifted. Our special will air near the end of this month.
Next week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week. We will begin helping you prepare for the season this month! For now, the risk is staying away from our area. One of the biggest risks will likely be close to April 20 based on the LRC.
In like a lamb:
March has come in like a lamb this year. We deserve a nice warm-up after this weather ride from the 60s to snow within the same week in the past month. We don't see a chance of snow in the next few days, but one chance did show up on the models.
There has been a system that has been showing up on the models with a possibility of snow. Within this year's LRC we see a couple more chances of snow before it gets too warm in April. If one of these chances looks to be more realistic, we will let you know. It will be turning cooler Thursday, then back up into the 70s Friday into Saturday, and then colder next week. The chance of any significant rain still seems low in our area.
For now, it is all about this warm-up. Look at the surface set-up for tomorrow.
Our next cold front will be oozing southward on Wednesday afternoon. As you can see above, this front will be near the Nebraska/South Dakota border. The conditions are favorable for us to have a surge into the 70s the next two days, and 80 degrees is possible on Wednesday. The record high of 80 degrees was set in 1901, and that record was set at the downtown airport. We will be making a run at this record that has stood for over 100 years tomorrow.
Expect a high today of close to 75 degrees. I will be finding an hour to take the dogs for a walk. Sunny and Rainbow The Weather Dogs are looking at me right now, and I promised them the walk before I go to work. Cooler air will move in Thursday and we will go in-depth with some of this weather discussion on KSHB 41 News today and tonight!
Thank you for sharing this weather experience and spending a few minutes of your day reading the weather blog. Have a great Tuesday.
Gary
