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Tornado Digest: From a blizzard to tornadoes, April starts on a stormy note

Ian Livingston

Looking back at the week of March 30-April 5.

Tornado activity the week of March 30 - April 5, 2014.
Tornado activity the week of March 30 – April 5, 2014.

It was a wild week of weather, with even a predominantly cold storm producing some action. Two significant systems rolled across the country. The first was the cold one, with blizzard conditions spread across the north central U.S.

The second, while also featuring snow in the northern Plains and Midwest, promised to be the first legitimate tornado event of the spring. While it did produce, it may be said it did so on the lower end of potential.

Still, a number of tornadoes occurred on multiple days, with a focus on the Ozarks and mid-South, but also targeting the broader Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

March 31 – Northern Plains blizzard’nado

The big story to start the week was that winter wasn’t leaving without a fight. Alas, tornadoes happened. Social media was abuzz over a tornado warning in a blizzard warning zone.

Of course, the storm happened before the blizzard — though not by much. Nothing but barbed wire and oil out there.

At least several weak funnels from high based storms showed up across Minnesota, as did future storm chasers.

April 1 – The storm chaser day

Supercell forming conditions were increasingly good as strong mid-level winds from the western trough began to overshoot the southern Plains. But, the cap was strong. Chasers flocked, because that’s what we do.

April 2 – Can’t root to the warm front

Sometimes before tornado outbreaks there’s a “day before the day.” That’s what this one looked like if it could hit potential. Fortunately for those in the region, it did not.

April 3 – Small-scale outbreak and some scary moments

The day started with an EF1 tornado ripping through parts of St Louis, MO, and a moderate risk was on the table for the day. By and large the event trended toward the low end of the initial risk, but try telling that to places like Denton, Tx where multiple supercells dropped giant hail and created quite the tornado scare.

In the end, roughly 10 tornadoes were produced, including at least three in north Texas and two in southern Illinois.

This week’s action

The week is already off to a fast start when it comes to tornadoes thanks to a storm system wrapping up over the South this morning. A dozen tornado warnings were issued overnight, with at least several tornadoes suspected in Mississippi. A threat will continue in the southeast and Ohio Valley today.

Related: Tornado Threat Forecast: April 6-7, 2014

April 7 tornado outlook. (Storm Prediction Center)
April 7 tornado outlook. (Storm Prediction Center)

Behind this storm system, it may be a rather quiet week as the country is dominated by cool and dry air until close to next weekend. New storm threats may emerge around then, but details are foggy as to if and where.

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Ian Livingston

Information lead and forecaster for the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang.
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