Severe Thunderstorms Threaten Central US, Might Soak Until Tuesday

As a rather abrupt change from the record cold earlier this week, soaking rain and severe thunderstorms are anticipated this weekend in some of the Central US's drought-stricken regions.

In some of the same central and northern Plains regions that have recently experienced record-breaking low temperatures for mid-October in the teens and 20s, the threat of severe weather will increase later on Sunday.

However, on Sunday, temperatures will shoot up to the north, as far as the Dakotas and Minnesota, reaching the 70s and 80s.

By late Sunday afternoon through the evening, severe thunderstorms should develop across portions of Kansas as well as northwest Missouri and into Minnesota due to that warm and slightly more humid air.

Strong thunderstorms with wind gusts that have the potential to cause tree damage and power outages will be the main severe weather threat.

Hail and the strongest storms are also a possibility for the area.

It is possible that there will be one or more tornadoes near the Missouri River, and perhaps even approximately between Kansas City and Sioux Falls.

From Drought to Floods

Although the overall severe threat currently appears low, additional severe thunderstorms are a threat in some areas of the Southern Plains on Monday and in the lower Mississippi Valley on Tuesday.

Additionally, as the cold front moved slowly through the area, locally heavy rain is anticipated.

Expect at least an inch of rain on Monday and Tuesday across a fairly large area, extending from Texas to the middle of the Mississippi Valley.

This is generally good news because, following a dry late summer and early fall, a large portion of the Mississippi Valley and the Plains are either abnormally dry or experiencing various levels of drought.

However, most of that rain may come down quickly enough to cause flash flooding by evaporating quickly over dry ground, especially in the Ozarks' hilly terrain, The Weather Channel reported.

Red Flag Warning: Southeast Kansas, Ozarks

A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service - Springfield office for strong winds and low humidity for much of the Missouri Ozarks as well as extreme southeast Kansas starting 11 AM this morning through 7 PM CDT this evening.

By midday and into the early evening, conditions will develop that will allow wildland fires to spread quickly.

Southerly winds are blowing 15 to 25 mph, with gusts reaching 40 mph. There will be as little as 25% relative humidity in the area.

Today is predicted to have an afternoon high temperature in the low to mid-80s, creating the conditions for a rapid spread of wildfires.

Authorities advised residents to take the appropriate safety precautions, according to AccuWeather.

Record-Cold to Thunderstorms

The jet stream pattern has changed, turning the Plains states from record cold to thunderstorm threats.

The West will experience much colder temperatures as well as mountain snow thanks to the jet stream's sharp southward plunge.

Warm, slightly more humid air will move northward through the initially shivering eastern and central US as it emerges from that so-called jet-stream trough.

Jet Streams Explained

The jet stream is being impacted by global warming, which also has an impact on the weather.

The temperature difference that propels jet streams has decreased as a result of the Earth's polar regions warming faster than the rest of the planet.

Slower and weaker jet streams can hold weather systems into position, stalling them to stay longer over areas, which has been linked to Greenland melting and a potential increase in deadly weather events.

According to National Geographic, although other reports state that, on average, winter cold snaps are getting warmer due to climate change, studies have linked a warming Arctic with far more severe winter weather in the US.

The polar vortex, a churning area of low pressure between the South and North poles, plays a role in this connection.

Cold Arctic air can enter the jet stream when a polar vortex becomes unstable, causing storms and frigid winter weather to move south.