Lucas' Weather Discussions

 

If you’ve been keeping up with the news lately, you know that the blizzard occurring in the northern Plains states is the second intense storm to strike the region this spring, and that it is packing all kinds of inclement weather in the nation’s midsection. From 2’+ of snow in Minnesota, to hail and tornadoes in the Mississippi Valley and dangerous winds in NM and TX, this storm is a harsh reminder that spring is a transition season.

First, some more detail about why this storm is significant. To begin, it is intense, as its central pressure (an important indicator of the strength of weather systems) is very low – 988mb – for a low so far inland. Also, as mentioned before, its variety of weather conditions- a hallmark of springtime systems- is expansive, with heavy snow, high winds, severe thunderstorms, and critical fire danger all a direct result of the storm dubbed “Wesley” by The Weather Channel. These impacts are not lacking in magnitude either, as winds will be gusting to near 60 mph in a region from the Texas-New Mexico border to Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

I have mentioned that the transition seasons- namely spring- is known for producing intense storms with a slew of impacts, and there is a reason for this. Simply put, all the ingredients for intensification of large-scale weather systems are present in the spring. The first- and most prominent- of these is a strong temperature gradient, which develops as a result of warm air expanding northward in response to the increasing sun angle, which encounters stubborn cold air from the winter thus setting up a “battle zone” between warm and cold air masses. Because of this tight temperature gradient, the jet stream is stronger, and thus more favorable for supporting the development of these storms in the upper levels. Coupled with increasing moisture flow out of the Gulf of Mexico, springtime can certainly deliver storms on par with this one regularly.

The impacts of this storm have already claimed the life of one in Colorado, and resulted in injuries to several others. All casualties thus far have been related to unsafe travel conditions causing crashes. Despite this storm still wreaking havoc, there is the threat for more similarly intense storms to develop in this region in the coming weeks, albeit with less of a wintry side and more intense severe weather. Regardless, those experiencing the impacts of these spring storms, whatever they might be, should heed warnings and take precautions to avoid loss of life and property.