Dangerous 'High Risk' Midwest U.S. Tornado Outbreak Underway

[Cal Carpenter]

Source: Wunderground - Dr. Jeff Masters

A rare and very dangerous late-season severe weather outbreak is underway over the Midwest U.S., where NOAA's Storm Prediction Center is predicting a "High Risk" of severe weather--their highest level of alert--over most of Indiana and Illinois, plus portions of Southern Lower Michigan and Western Ohio. This is just the second "High Risk" forecast for 2013, and the area at risk of severe weather is unusually large. According to a list of all "High Risk" forecasts issued since 1984 maintained at Wikipedia, today's High Risk area is the farthest north such a forecast has been issued so late in the year. A 992 mb low pressure system that was over Northern Illinois on Sunday morning will move northeast and rapidly intensify to 965 mb by Monday morning, dragging a strong cold front across the "High Risk" area on Sunday afternoon. Isolated supercell thunderstorms--the kind most likely to produce strong and violent tornadoes--are expected to form ahead of the front, and the SPC is expecting multiple long-track strong tornadoes to form during the early afternoon. Any tornadoes that form will be moving at highway speed--50 to 60 mph--and will be under low cloud bases around 2,000 feet, making these storms difficult to see and react to, particularly in wooded or hilly areas. If the sirens sound, seek shelter!

A dangerous day in Chicago
Most of Illinois, including Chicago, has been placed under a special "PDS" Tornado Watch: a "Particularly Dangerous Situation." Severe thunderstorms spawning tornado warnings have already erupted over Southern Wisconsin and Western Illinois as of 10:15 am CST. Severe thunderstorms are likely to sweep through Chicago in the early afternoon during today's Ravens - Bears game, which starts at noon CST. According to NBC 5 in Chicago, loose objects are being removed from the stadium in anticipation of high winds, and officials are prepared to evacuate fans, if necessary. An NFL game will stop if there is lightning, and cannot continue until 30 minutes afterwards.

more at link



Read more: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2581

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Be safe everyone.

[Sienna86]

1. Be safe in the Midwest.

Quite an unusual day here.

[alfredo]

2. I'm in the moderate risk area, but more worried about friends and family in high risk areas.

[wendylaroux]

3. 78* here in E Mo.

the wind is unreal,gusts of 50.

[unionthug777]

4. milwaukee here

lots of rain and storms moving in now.

[Hissyspit]

5. PHOTO: Peoria Illinois.

@GregMitch: RT @wxbrad: Tilt of the funnel tells you how fast it's moving! O.M.G. -- Peoria, IL tornado: http://t.co/KdpAuAhfoA"

m.twitter.com/GregMitch

[Bosonic]

6. Some bad touchdowns

#WashingtonIL
https://twitter.com/ChrisKhoury182/status/402137855717150720/photo/1


#Peoria #Washington
https://twitter.com/ChrisKhoury182/status/402136292051259394/photo/1

[iemitsu]

7. Good luck to all those in the area. I hope the predicted storms don't materialize.

I wish that these sorts of weather maps would not end the storm patterns at our borders. That practice has the effect of isolating us from our neighbors and reducing our empathy toward them.

[bvar22]

8. Bears game interrupted for Weather Delay!

Moving ENE

[jwirr]

9. Having lived in an area that had tornado warnngs almost every night, what was significant to me

was the number of tornados and the time of year. Tornado season was almost never this late.

[rpannier]

10. The missed my father's area

Upper Rock Island County on the Mississippi River
For which I am grateful