More central U.S. storminess, and landspouts dot the landscape

This is trying to become the most benign stretch of weather since I started the Retort earlier this year. In a time of seemingly continuous extremes, it feels a little weird and also unlikely to last long.

Weather Watch

Central U.S. storminess. Another day of scattered severe weather is on the way from West Texas to southwest Kansas. The main threat is probably large hail, but a tornado is also possible. Flooding potential from this round may reach its apex Thursday across Kansas, Oklahoma and surrounding locations.

Florida fire threat. As the risk of record high temperatures increases over the next several days, a wildfire threat is also growing in Florida. This is typically a relatively dry time of year, but much of the state is in drought and has seen below average rainfall.

Lightning links

New Jersey wildfire scorches over 8,500 acres as thousands flee fast-moving flames.

April landspouts bring May … ?

Landspouts are tornadoes that tend to look more like dust devils with a cloud above them. While they can cause notable damage, most are rather weak and attracted to open land.

Recent days have delivered a number of them. First on back-to-back instances Sunday and Monday in Montana, then on Tuesday in southwest Texas. Canada’s first tornado of the year happened about 10 days ago — it was also a ‘spoot.

Landspouts form somewhat differently than their mesocyclone-birthed siblings. Enhanced by temperature changes and rising air near the ground — they love a freshly cut field that’s warmer than its surroundings — landspouts are typically not directly associated with significant cloud level spin from rotation overhead.

There are hybrids and landspout environments can develop into full-fledged destructive tornadoes. The landspout in Texas on Tuesday formed under the cloud base associated with supercells but not co-located with the storm’s rotation.

Most of the time, landspouts are a slender swirl and help storm chasers pad their tornado count. (although, I’ve seen dozens of tornadoes and no landspouts)

Then there’s this dust devil that looked like a clear-sky tornado in Arizona on Easter Sunday … Like landspouts, dust devils develop thanks heavily to rapid changes in temperature on the ground and the atmospheric layer just above.

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Weekday morning newsletter by a journalist/forecaster. Connecting weather and climate change dots while occasionally stirring the pot.

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