ROANOKE, Va. – It appears as though the Hokie Storm Chasers picked a good time to study storms in the Plains this year. After capturing a tornado in Nebraska Friday, their sights are set on the Southern Plains Monday.
That's where we find an Enhanced-to-Moderate risk for severe weather, with all modes of severe weather being possible. Tornadoes, hail, wind damage and flooding are fair game with this powerful system developing near the Rockies.
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One area of focus will be a dry line. This is a boundary that forms on the edge of hot, dry air east of the Rockies and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. You can see that in the beige bubbly-line running through Texas in the map below.
Where that dry line meets with a cold and warm front pictured below is called the triple point, and it is usually a hot bed for tornado development in the Plains. That's part of why the 'Moderate Risk' for severe weather is in north Texas and parts of Oklahoma.
Flooding is also a concern, as rounds of heavy rain inundate parts of Oklahoma Monday into Tuesday morning.
Expect to see multiple pictures, videos and reports across social media Monday, as severe season is clearly poised to intensify in the Plains.
Here's to a safe chase day, with hopefully some valuable learning experiences, for the Hokie Storm Chasers. Here's also to the safety of residents in that part of the country.