National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Dangerous Heat in the Southwest; Severe Thunderstorms from the Central Plains into the Ohio Valley

Dangerous heat will build across the Southwest U.S. through the end of the week with daytime highs of 110-115°F. Isolated to widely scattered severe storms are expected across parts of the central and southern High Plains, Great Lakes into the Ohio Valley, and parts of the Ozarks to Lower Mississippi Valley today. Read More >

Overview

On the afternoon of July 26, 2022, strong to severe storms developed along a stationary frontal boundary across eastern Colorado. Storms initially fired across southern Yuma County, but then proceeded to build southwest along the boundary. Atmospheric instability was high on this day, with SBCape in excess of 3000 j/kg by the afternoon hours to go along with low level lapse rates in excess of 9 C/km. Wind shear was also heightened on this day with 0-6 km Effective Bulk Shear of 30-40 kts, and surface vorticity was maximized along the boundary which is favorable for landspout tornado development. As the afternoon progressed and storms matured, tornadoes occurred in eastern Colorado, and as far as we can tell, there were 4 distinct tornadoes in Kit Carson County. In addition, one hail report was received with this event.

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