Severe Weather Risk Returns to Central U.S. as Temperatures Surge

While it may feel like winter across much of the central and eastern U.S. this weekend, a change in the position of the jet stream will signal that spring is coming. Several rounds of heavy rain and severe weather will impact a region from the southern Plains and up into the Great Lakes beginning next week. Read on for more precise details about the timing and expected impacts of this weather maker.

Severe Weather Season Showing Signs of Life Starting With the Southern Plains

A shift in the jet stream will support the development of springlike temperatures and precipitation impacts in a zone from Texas and up into Ohio and Michigan. Multiple storm systems are forecast to set up along this corridor to kick off the month of March, raising the threat of severe weather impacts for millions of Americans. Although the rain associated with this active storm track is good news for areas dealing with ongoing drought conditions, the setup could also create flooding concerns if too much moisture falls too quickly for the parched ground to absorb it all.

It is hard to imagine that the central U.S. will be battling thunderstorms next week after experiencing more waves of snow and ice through the weekend. The change will happen when the jet stream dips to the south across the West and bulges to the north in the East. This wave will send several storms bubbling in Texas to the north, reaching as far as the middle Mississippi and Ohio valleys.

The northward bulge in the jet stream across the eastern half of the country will bring up warm and moist air from the Gulf. The availability of moisture-rich air naturally makes it more likely that storms will ignite. The colder air coming in from the western U.S. will clash with the warm air to the east to set the stage for thunderstorm activity and repeated downpours.