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15 October 2007 - USA braces itself as Severe Storms forecast.
 An area of rapidly developing low pressure will set the scene for a bout of potential severe weather across the Plains of USA this coming week. The low pressure system will be the focal point for storms to develop across the central Plains. The current target area may (and most likely will) change as the week progresses. The storms will have the potential to spawn torrential rain, large hail, and a strong tornado or two.
No stranger to severe storms, Tornado Alley peaks during the Spring months of April through June. However, occasional systems do pop up during the fall months which can bring chaos to local communities.
As warm air (and moisture) is transported from the Gulf of Mexico this collides with cooler air from polar regions. The Jet stream conveyor belt has dipped and is bringing very strong upper level winds across the Plains. When all of these conditions come together the atmosphere becomes very hostile and a breeding ground for severe storms. CLOUD will be monitoring the storms as they develop and our correspondent from Tornado Alley will be supplying us with photos. Watch this space.
UPDATE - This is unfolding into what looks to be a significant severe weather event. The Storm Prediction Centre (SPC) are using pretty strong language in their latest forecast - Strong and long lived destructive tornadoes.
13 tornadoes reported across the heart of the USA yesterday (17th Oct), with lots of wind and hail events. It certainly could have been a lot worse according to forecasters. Lots of storms generated early throughout the day. This in itself inhibited the development of fresh stronger storms (by mixiing air masses and reducing moisture feed) and prevented an outbreak of major tornadoes.18 Oct - As the storm system migrated North East overnight conditions worsened considerably and a massive 35 tornadoes have swept through Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky killing two and causing major damage. A very eventful two days indeed. Last update : 19-10-2007 21:26
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