Severe thunderstorms are rapidly firing along a stalled front Monday morning. These storms will ride along the front, mainly near and south of I-70. The structure of the storm is quite interesting; and, there is a name for it–a “Meso-Convective Vortex”, or MCV. This type of storm structure is known for producing very strong winds, hail and sometimes tornadoes.

The term “meso” basically means “small area”. The term “convective” more or less means “thunderstorm”. The last term, “vortex”, implies “rotation”. A rotating storm has the capacity for lasting a very long time. So, once an MCV is established, it often stays alive for a long time.

Now, don’t let the rotation aspect of Monday’s MCV scare you too much at this point. Not all MCV’s produce tornadoes. MCV’s are mainly known for their wind and hail potential. Damaging winds and hail are the main severe weather threats for Monday. The tornado threat is very, very low at this point.

Should Monday’s MCV hold together, it will likely ride along and just south of I-70. Severe thunderstorm watches are in effect for the potential of damaging winds and hail across all of Northeast Kansas through late Monday afternoon. The good news is that an early onset of severe storms may help to hold down the heat and humidity. That, in return, may help to reduce the chance for more thunderstorms later Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

Stay tuned,

Alex