Plains Recovering from Storms, Chase Season is Here

The upper-level low that has brought days of continuous severe weather, including deadly tornadoes, damaging wind, large hail and flash flooding, is finally moving out of the Plains. Even yesterday central Texas had a busy day with several confirmed tornadoes that produced damage, and some reports of injuries. Flash flooding was also a issue in many locations in central and north Texas. The upper level system just sat and kicked out upper level disturbances for several days helping to produce all the severe weather. Over some 78 tornado reports over the period and there were nearly over 150 tornado warnings issued.

The end of March opened the 2007 Storm Chasing season for Storm Chasers living in the Plains. They got a nice taste of chasing once again in the Southern High Plains and West Texas. The Caprock has been Chaser dead zone the last few years as much of the severe weather events were taking place over the central and northern Plains during peak chasing season. The tornadoes over eastern New Mexico last week, and the tornadoes this past Wednesday over the Texas Panhandle, are making Chasers feel that it’s making up for all the busts last year and the lack of chasing on the Caprock in recent seasons. A lot of us, including myself love to chase West Texas and the Panhandles. It’s once awesome place to chase.

So, the Plains will start to get a break for a few days to clean up. With small towns like Bird City, Kansas, Holly, Colorado, Logan and Clovis, New Mexico and a few others that have tornado damage, truly need the calmer weather. Storm Chasers living in the Plains, and the few that made it out for the last series of tornado fest days, are enjoying the bagged tubes, and the tornado count so early in the chase season. Tomorrow April starts and the chasers look forward to the start of the more active storm season, or as it looks it already has begun.

The weakening upper level system is now shifting eastward and the bulk of the severe weather will now be over the lower and middle Mississippi Valley today. A few tornadoes and mostly damaging winds and large hail are expected.