The Main Show, Unfortunately, Begins

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I've received a question about why the big storms haven't developed yet. Reasonable question since we had a damaging tornado in St. Louis early this morning.

Unfortunately, the big show is just starting to begin. Let's take a look at the satellite photo. See the dark area (arrows) ahead of the line of storms in eastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma? That clear area is where the sun is heating an already stable atmosphere.

This is a map showing atmospheric instability with larger numbers = more unstable (conducive to thunderstorms). The highest instability is in place ahead of that Kansas-Oklahoma line of towering clouds.

Radar at 1:13pm seems to be falling into place with the first few echoes along the western line.
The storms in the northern Ozarks and the line in eastern Kansas/Oklahoma should be carefully watched the next few hours. 

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