Latest tornado count & pattern change brings calmer weather

Maybe it felt like May earlier this week with us talking so much about severe weather, tornadoes, hail, wind, etc. I guess the good news with October severe weather is that it's usually "one and done", not multiple days of bad weather like we can have in the spring. 

Damage assessment crews from Goodland discovered the Sharon Springs tornado was EF0 with peak winds of about 85 mph. Other tornadoes were reported in Gray, Ford, Hodgeman, and Edwards counties, but damage was pretty minimal. 

As the final EF ratings come in, here's another look at the Enhanced Fujita Scale to break down the wind speeds. We still have not had an EF5 since Greensburg back in 2007. Just incredible. 

Latest United States tornado count - still trending below the average:

Even though we've seen an uptick in the tornadoes over the past week, we are still trending lower than the average at this point of the year. And it would seem unlikely to change much considering much of the country is now cooling down with fall taking hold.

Next couple of weeks for Kansas and the Plains: It does appear that the next couple of weeks may turn out drier for much of the central US. I think we are going to see a low pressure system up near the Great Lakes next week that may be circulating some cool air around it. If that actually happens, we will have some very nice fall weather, BUT it will also be a dry setup. I don't expect to see that much rain between now and closer to Halloween.

Enjoy the fantastic weather coming up for Kansas. Aside from some occasional breezy or windy days, we have some wonderful weather ahead.