Sparky-Watts
Banned
Ok, things are getting weird(er) here in Kansas with the weather. Last November, we had a blizzard in the western half of the state, and more than a dozen tornadoes in the eastern half of the state, all at the same time. We've only had a few days of "real" winter weather since the first of the year, but otherwise, we've had most days in the 50's and 60's, even a few in the 70's. Normal for this time of year is 20's at night and upper 20's to lower 30's during the day. Last night, we had a thunderboomer roll through about 1am, and a few others throughout the day today. In Newton, about 30 miles NE of me, there was a "land spout" reported that damaged several hundred cars. A land spout is kinda like a tornado, only different. They generally form from rain clouds only, whereas a tornado forms from a supercell thunderstorm. Land spouts cannot be detected on radar, as they are actually more like large dust devils. They also form from the ground up to the clouds, while tornadoes go the opposite way. The land spout in Newton today was about 50 yards wide and stayed on the ground for about 4 miles. Winds were estimated between 60 and 90 mph at it's strongest point. Man, I love Kansas weather!! Never a dull moment!!
