There is confusion this morning as the NWS in Louisville (which did the damage survey) said it completed the survey of the fatal tornado's path yesterday. However, I cannot find the results of the survey. I thought I had found it, but it turned out that was a different tornado.  Stay tuned. --- original post, still valid --- Another strong ( ≥EF-2), fatal tornado occurred in Kentucky this morning. Details here . Unfortunately, it lacked an advance tornado warning. Nor was a tornado or severe thunderstorm watch in effect. This event has little or nothing to do with the National Weather Service (NWS) being short handed. The serious issues with the tornado warning system have existed since 2011.  The purpose of this note is to document another example of the NWS's tornado warning issues with a goal of fixing them. As I wrote yesterday ,  So we are clear: NWS and NOAA (especially the latter) desperately need reform. President Trump, so far, has gone about it the wrong way. Hi...

Two Tornado Watches in Effect -- original forecast; still valid -- The area in brown has a significant risk of tornadoes later this afternoon and this evening. Please keep up on the latest, trusted weather information in these areas. 

Drought Conditions As of Tuesday, here are the latest drought conditions: Note: The yellow is not in drought but simply "dry." Rainfall since Tuesday is shown on the map below: 48-hour rainfall ending at 11am CDT, Thursday. With the exception of light rain in western Washington and northwest Oregon, the West was dry the past two days.  Five Day Forecast Rainfall For once, the heavier rains are forecast to fall on areas where they are needed, particular in the Southwest and northern Great Plains. No areas of major flooding are forecast but scattered minor flooding could occur from eastern Kentucky to DelMarVa. 

The  Kansas City Star  yesterday ran a story about the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Kansas City (KC) operations. Specifically, the newspaper is concerned that, with the recent layoffs, the NWS will not be able to continue to deliver what I call “corporate welfare.” Screen captures from the story:   NASCAR’s Kansas Speedway Races National Football League Draft So, the  Star  is worried the NWS will not be able to continue to provide on-site corporate welfare.    The National Weather Service’s mission is, and has always been, to provide data, forecasts and warnings to the  public.  If a business (e.g., Kansas Speedway) can use that same data for their operations, great. But, if they need on-site meteorologists or other specialized services,  that is what private-sector commercial weather organizations are for.  The newspaper evidently believes there isn’t sufficient money in the NASCAR or NFL’s budget to hire a meteorologist for ...

-- original forecast -- The Kansas area in brown has a significant risk of tornadoes this afternoon. This includes Beaver and Buffalo, Oklahoma. This is the only area in the U.S. which has a significant risk today. Please keep up on the weather in this area later today.

Good morning. Hope you had an enjoyable weekend. There is no organized tornado risk today for the first time in quite a few days. 

The area in brown has a significant risk of a few tornadoes (along with large hail and damaging thunderstorm-generated winds) the rest of the day and, especially, this evening. Please keep up on the weather in this region. 

Hope you and your family have a wonderful day while keeping in mind those who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation. 

There are two areas (brown) with a significant risk of tornadoes today. I strongly recommend keeping up on the weather in these areas through this evening. 

From now until Wednesday morning.... The NWS says the dark blue area is where serious flooding is forecast to occur between now and Wednesday. I would add that significant to serious flooding may develop in north central Texas.   In the pale blue area, flooding may be more sporadic but is still likely in places.  

This tornado watch is in effect until 4am Sunday.  This update is from data as of 9:15pm Saturday. The area outlined in blue is where giant hail (up to 3.5") and wind gusts to 70 mph are forecast to occur during the night. --- original forecast, still valid -- The yellow area has an enhanced  risk of a tornado late this afternoon or evening. The brown area has a significant risk. There is also a risk of 2-4" hail in these areas.  Please keep up on the weather in these areas. Note: the NWS Storm Prediction Center web site is down, thus the image will less detail. This is a College of DuPage image of the SPC's forecast. 

There is a final a cover of their music that is just wonderful. It features the voice of Ms. Tory Holub.   Here is We've Only Just Begun  and it will give you chills. Congratulations. 

After a grim week meteorologically, I thought we needed some humor  going into the holiday weekend.  Dallas, 2023.  My book tours -- with the exception of the airline part -- were generally fun. I had wonderful company from Kim Attwater and Mindy East. The readers were great. Authors Dave Barry and Carl Haissen were both on book tours this week and the latter was at Kansas City's International Airport when he: Broke a tooth on a candy bar Was in a tornado watch. In fact, Carl may have been in a tornado warning  as one passed just north of the airport (southern circle, Kansas City International is at the star). There were two tornadoes in progress; both denoted by circles.  All of this is a long-winded way of introducing Dave's latest report from the road . It is hilarious. It involves TSA/toothpaste, Christmas underwear and prancing nude batchlorette female law students.

The storm warning system failed in St. Louis Friday, May 16. Five died. Per news reports , the aviation weather system at Montgomery Field, the San Diego airport where the plane that crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighborhood intended to land, had been out of service for 12 hours.  "Audio recordings of the Cessna’s pilot show he attempted to check in with the station at the airport upon approach, but did not get any usable information on visibility." There was dense fog at the time of the crash.  America is headed in the direction of a third-world nation when it comes to weather. 

For the 2025 Memorial Day Weekend, it is -- unfortunately -- easy to find the forecasted worst Lake Weather.  Yes, that is more than 7" of rain at Table Rock (MO) and Bull Shoals (AR) in the Ozarks. Nearly 7" (tiny spot, look closely) is forecast for the Lake of the Ozarks (MO) as well 5" at Grand Lake (OK).  As a result of the heavy rains earlier this week, considerable debris is already being observed in the water at the Lake of the Ozarks and this will be a problem at all of these lakes by the end of the weekend.  In addition, flooding is likely  in the 4-state area with the orange and amber colors. 

Is there anyone in the Midwest or South that hasn't had a passing thought about a violent tornado occurring in the middle of the night? Seventy years ago Sunday, on May 25, 1955, the people of Udall, Kansas, were awakened by an ungodly roar as an F-5 intensity tornado flattened their town. Eighty-two people died. Earlier, a tornado had struck Blackwell, OK killing another 20. The primitive radar at (now) Oklahoma State University showed the tornado near Udall. Unfortunately, the storm -- between Wichita and Udall -- blotted out the signal from the WWII radar at the Weather Bureau office in Wichita. They mistook what they saw on the radar as the storm weakening. The television stations said, "The threat of severe weather is over." How wrong they were.  This tornado was so powerful that a few people who dashed to their basement drowned.  The tornado toppled the town's water tower.  Wichita's KAKE-TV's (ABC) news special for the 70th anniversary is here . 

St. Louis is no stranger to major tornadoes and the deaths they can produce. It is the metropolitan area where the most tornado-related fatalities have occurred (Based on an AI search, more than 420). Friday, an EF-3 intensity tornado occurred in St. Louis and then moved across the Mississippi River into Illinois. Five were killed in St. Louis, 38 injured, and an estimated $1.6 billion in damage occurred. The tornado was a mile wide in places.  As we have been reporting for nearly 15 years, major issues have developed in the National Weather Service's (NWS) tornado warning program. Unfortunately, some of those issues occurred again Friday. There were also serious issues with local emergency management.  Unlike other nations, the U.S. does not have a National Disaster Review Board (modeled after the hugely successful National Transportation Safety Board) which would be able to do a comprehensive report. So, I am providing this more limited report in hopes that lesson...

I was interviewed by KCTV 5 (CBS) regarding the 68th anniversary of the Ruskin Heights F-5 Tornado and the rebuilding of the monument. It will be on their newscasts this evening. 

Today is the 68th anniversary of the F-5 Ruskin Heights Tornado.  It killed 44 residents of eastern Kansas and south Kansas City, Missouri. Last autumn, I wrote about the Ruskin Heights Tornado Monument being destroyed when a car occupied by four uninsured teenaged boys missed the corner slammed into it.  There is good news.  There is now a firm plan in place to replace the memorial. The story about the replacement is here . The tornado was historic because it directly led to the Weather Bureau finally issuing tornado warnings .  Update:  Here is a photo, taken yesterday, of the memorial's reconstruction.