Last week was better for a couple of days. Damaging hail and high winds hit Missouri and Arkansas on Tuesday the 24th. Gulf moisture was lacking, probably from the onslaught of this year’s arctic fronts. I thought enough moisture would pile up along the front in southwestern Missouri and a tornado or two would be possible, but apparently not. Prospects for a chase through the Ozarks convinced me to stay away.
The setup for day two was better, with another day to advect reluctant moisture northward and the presence of a stationary front plus an outflow boundary from day one’s activity. The two most significant tornadoes occurred in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa suburbs.
The vortices in northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas formed from the outflow boundary while it appears the tornado in Oklahoma County developed near the stationary front. This was a vanishingly rare miss for NWS, which did not warn until after the tornado hit the ground. More entertainment followed with Accu-Weather’s public and explicit jab at the local office. Anyway, the rawinsonde data showed more manly lapse rates and low-level moisture plus shear.
An active day, with relatively slow-moving storms (for March). I don’t regret passing on this one as I have had my one near-death fiasco in the ‘burbs at rush hour. And the four- inch diameter hail. Ick. The Four Cylinders of the Apocalypse are on their final turn already. Plus the car needs a new windshield. Here’s hoping NWS and Accu-Wx kiss and make up.