Our storm chase on April 14th, 2011 took us into south and southeast Oklahoma. The storm prediction center had issued a PDS ("Particularly Dangerous Situation") tornado watch during the afternoon, and it certainly verified; with 27 tornado reports coming in across the region during the course of the afternoon and evening.
©Daniel Lightbody
@CaliforniaGuy88 It all has to do with the atmospheric dynamics leading to the severe weather in the first place. Severe weather across the plains is usually associated with an incoming trough from the west and a subsequent (usually strengthening) surface low to the east of the trough axis. As the trough approaches, southerly wind speeds increase across the region and advect higher temperature and moisture values northward; priming the area for severe weather.
extremeweatherguy 3 months ago
why does it always seem to be very windy in the plains before a severe weather outbreak?
CaliforniaGuy88 3 months ago