There was hail up to 2" in diameter in north central Kansas. Elsewhere, the hail was smaller and scattered and should not have done a great deal of damage. 

I'm passing this severe thunderstorm watch along because of the forecast of 75 mph gusts and hail to tennis ball size. However, I do not see much of a tornado threat. Nevertheless, I could be wrong so keep an eye out if a strong thunderstorm moves into your area. 

I've been watching coverage of The Master's since about 10am Central time and have not seen a single cloud. I have no idea where this "forecast" came from (Augusta National, ESPN, the broadcast producer's weather app?) but it is awful. It would be nice if as much attention was paid to the weather forecast as to expensive technology that tells us how many times per minute a golfball in the air rotates. 

The above forecast is from the NWS Storm Prediction Center and the yellow area has an enhanced risk of hail 1" or larger with the hatching where 2" or larger hail is forecast. However, two additional techniques show a higher risk of large hail in north central Kansas, so I thought I would provide this additional information view the red outline. 

As tornadoes are possible during the next few days, I just wanted to give you a reminder. 

On March 16, we ran a piece explaining that the drought and record cold were going to cause serious problems for the 2026 winter wheat crop. Unfortunately, that observation and forecast is now confirmed.  The large number to the left of the smaller numbers is the percent of this year's winter wheat that is in excellent or even good condition. Twelve percent in Oklahoma and 17% in Texas is just terrible. 

This is the forecast precipitation from this evening until 7pm Monday, April 13. It is likely there will be periods of severe thunderstorms (with tornadoes possible) later this week and into Monday, so it will be a good time to keep an eye on the weather.  So, a reminder below: Please check my twitter feed @usweatherexpert  on Twitter/X for updates as well as on this blog. 

Whether you are a train fan or not, the story of how CSX Transportation [railroad] spent $500 million to rebuild part of its railroad after the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene is gripping. Highly recommended. 

Adobe Stock Photography Today, we commemorate the most important event in human history. With Jesus' return from the dead, the gates of Heaven were opened to the good people of earth. 

Tornado Watch (Forecast) #3 For the Day Tornado Forecast in a Severe Thunderstorm Watch Note the forecast of "apple size hail" First Tornado Watch of the Day Forecast until 7am   Saturday  The brown area has a significant risk of tornadoes and the hatching indicates where a strong tornado is possible. Please keep up on the weather today if you live in th brown area. 

Thank you to the person or company yesterday that took out seven licenses for my photography .  You will find a wide range outdoor scenes, especially pertaining to spring and summer. 

The area in in yellow has an enhanced  risk of tornadoes later today. The hatching is where a strong tornado could occur. The brown area has a significant risk. Please keep up on the weather today. 

Tornado Watch: Kansas and Missouri Tornado Watch for "Strong" Tornadoes Tornado Forecast Until 7am Thursday The area in brown has a significant risk of tornadoes. The hatching means there is the potential for strong tornadoes. The threat will begin around 6pm or shortly thereafter.  For Thursday The yellow area has an enhanced risk of tornadoes. The brown area has a significant risk. The hatching means that strong tornadoes are possible. I will be updating on Twitter/X  @usweatherexpert. 

Yesterday, I wrote about some of the considerations applicable to this year's "Vortex 2026" storm research program sponsored by NOAA.  At the same time The Wall Street Journal posted a video pertaining to drone research as it applies to tornado forecasting and warning. The screen capture above correctly points out the great distances between weather balloon stations is a significant impediment to having data on the scale needed to forecast tornadoes with more accuracy.  The video explains that NOAA is experimenting with drones (that cost up to $100,000+ per drone!) to measure the atmosphere up to 5,000 feet above the ground with a goal of getting measurements up to 10,000 feet in the future.  What is the problem? We had a perfectly good method of of taking these measurements -- at much less cost -- as recently as a dozen years ago! The map above displays (red) the location of NWS weather balloon sites as shown in the video (there are about 90 more in the U.S.A.). It also...