Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Tornado Watch for parts of the stateline area

The National Weather Service has extended a tornado watch from parts of eastern Iowa into Illinois now as of about 7:30pm. Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Stephenson counties are in this watch until 10pm. Abundant moisture remains over the area due to strong southerly flow and left-over moisture from last night's storms. Storms in central and eastern Iowa broke through the "cap" (a stable layer in the atmosphere) during the late afternoon hours. These storms are moving quickly to the northeast at about 50 mph. Now that the cap is broken, new storms will continue to fire tonight ahead of an approaching cold front. With the directional wind sheer that we have, rotating thunderstorms may develop. These storms are capable of producing tornadoes.

After midnight, the tornadic threat should subside, but thunderstorms with hail, high winds, and heavy rain will be possible through about 5am.

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