At least 16 dead in Missouri, Kentucky as severe storms sweep central U.S.
At least 16 people have died after severe storms swept through the central United States, with possible tornadoes touching down in Missouri and Kentucky, according to authorities.
Five people were killed in severe weather in St. Louis, city officials said, though meteorologists have not yet confirmed there was a tornado, with the National Weather Service St. Louis saying that damage reports and radar imagery suggests one had 'likely occurred.' At a news conference Friday, St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson described at a path of destruction that began on a major thoroughfare during afternoon rush hour before moving east over a river into southern Illinois.
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Shelf clouds and wall clouds
We have another question to answer! Jim asks: "Hey, Ray, I recently heard about shelf clouds. They are an eerie sight indeed! Can you give a brief synopsis of how these fronts form?" Shelf clouds do look scary, especially knowing they are attached to a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are essentially systems that move heat and moisture. Big updrafts feed that heat and moisture into a storm to fuel it. As the moisture cools and condenses high up in the storm, rain and even hail form. When the rain and hail are too heavy for the updrafts to keep them suspended, they fall. Shelf clouds, they're scary, they're menacing, and with good reason! Getty Images I know we have been sort of talking about a dramatic version of the water cycle so far, but this falling of precipitation is what sets up the shelf cloud! Precipitation isn't the only thing moving from high up in the storm to the ground. That precipitation drags down cooler air from higher in the atmosphere. That cold air races out ahead of the storm, essentially creating what we would call a gust front. This is what we would call a "gust front." KDKA Weather Center As this cold air races ahead of the storm, it forces air that is warmer and has a higher moisture content upward. This movement causes the air to condense into a cloud that sticks out from the front of the storm. This is the shelf cloud! As it forms, you can see it! Getty Images If you ever see a shelf cloud, you should expect gusty winds at the very least. Since they are connected to a thunderstorm, they should act as a warning to get inside and wait out the storm. The gust front can bring strong winds, and the thunderstorm that follows will likely have lightning and thunder. These storms may appear to rotate, too. This rotation sometimes has them confused with wall clouds. Now, there are differences between shelf clouds and wall clouds! Getty Images A shelf cloud, according to the National Weather Service, will rotate horizontally. A more dangerous wall cloud will appear to rotate vertically and be at the base of the storm in a rain-free area. Usually behind the rain. These wall clouds are precursors to tornadoes, but storms with shelf clouds still can spin up a tornado, too. Great question, Jim! These clouds can look scary and should be taken seriously.
Yahoo
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Hazy skies linger as wildfire smoke moves through Northern Michigan
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Welcome to the weekend! It was a wet start for some and a muggy start for all across the state. A few showers were tracking through northern areas around daybreak on Saturday. The morning features rain chances before wet weather begins to taper after noon. We still keep the risk of rain for the afternoon but it will be a much lower chance. Sunday brings its own rain and storm chance, too. Scattered showers and storms are expected through much of the day. A few showers are possible in your neighborhood to start the day. Around midday, the First Alert Weather team will be monitoring the potential for stronger storms and/or heavier rain to move into Maryland. Sunday afternoon brings a risk for severe weather back to the state. The Storm Prediction Center has us in a level 1 and 2 (out of 5) risk for severe weather on Sunday. The higher chance for those stronger storms will be in Central and Southern Maryland and for our Lower Eastern Shore neighborhoods. Storms may produce damaging winds, small hail and we also cannot rule out some rotation. We may also see some heavier pockets of rain as storms move through. Rain may remain to start Monday before a brief drying out and another risk for showers and storms on Tuesday. The middle and late parts of the upcoming week look much quieter (and drier!). Temperatures also appear to rise back closer to 90° as we approach the middle of the month.
