Threat of severe storms ends here, but major severe outbreak underway to Chicago's east; more than two dozen twisters already reported
The threat of severe thunderstorms is over in the Chicago area. Strong winds, falling temperatures and 3-6 hours of dry weather are immediately ahead--then snow showers arrive in Wednesday's pre-dawn hours. The precipitation-free weather soon to take hold and last half the night, is the result of the larger storm system's "dry slot", as mentioned in the previous update. This is a very windy but dry region of any largescale storm. But the feature migrates and snow showers are likely here as it exits the area before daybreak Wednesday.
While the severe weather threat has ended here, a major severe weather outbreak is underway across a good part of the nation's mid-section to the city's south and east. More than two dozen reports of twisters have already been tallied by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center this afternoon--and more are likely as we head through the evening and the night. Southern Indiana, extreme southern Illinois, western Kentucky and western Tennessee have been hardest hit through 5:30 pm. Now the focus is on a powerful squall line with cloud tops from 37,000 ft to 52,000 feet is sweeping northeastward through Indiana and southeast Michigan--and is headed for Ohio. It is part of a long line of powerful and severe thunderstorms which extend south to the Gulf Coast, where storms are crossing the Texas coastline into the Gulf of Mexico. We expect a number of additional tornadoes is likely to be reported from these areas. There are four active tornado watches in effect from Lousiana north to Detroit and a series of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings are in effect as this update is filed.
Snow is sweeping across Iowa on winds which, in the western half of the state, are gusting 40+ mph. Temperatures have plunged into the low and mid 30s across all of Iowa. It's this chilly air which is to take up residence in the days ahead--part of a radically different pattern which may feature regular outbreaks of chilly air the remainder of November---a month which until now has been so mild it ranks 12th warmest of all November 1-15 periods on record here since 1871.
--Tom Skilling
