12:13AM I was talking about the Omega block all the way back yesterday, and I think now is a good time to call out that radar coverage is not as good AND moisture is not as prevalent out west as it is out east. Despite the way it looks, the system in the east isn’t orders of magnitude stronger than the one out west.

5:31PM – One of the things about Omega Blocks is the persistence of the weather. IF you look at forecasts in the mid-Atlantic, you will find forecasts with rain almost all of the 10 days because things are so stuck.

8:22PM – The busy activity notwithstanding, our block is preventing much dynamic change in the atmosphere, which means cold air isn’t slamming into where it’s warm, dry air isn’t scouring the moisture. We were recently discussing the long range forecast being busier than normal, but now, moving into May when the Plains are often on high alert, there is nothing to speak of. Expect some discussion of drought or fire danger though, in the very near future.

10:37PM We are in the midst of an Omega block in the US which prevents things from moving a whole lot, makes it warm in the middle of the block and cold and wet on the two flanks. This means a miserable beginning to the week is coming for the East Coast and some May snow is on the way in the Rockies. I don’t want it to be true, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be.

5:05PM – The calendar has turned to May, and everyone is looking forward to spring and warm weather, but the NWS in Glasgow is here to harsh the vibe. Brr.

7:59PM If you are in the La Crosse Wisconsin area, be sure to sign up for spotter training for next week. It’s severe weather season, and if it interests you, this is a great way to help out the community. Of course, every office has spotters, so look at your local office for details if La Crosse isn’t it.

8:48PM This is the kind of night one likes to see if you like tracking radar but don’t want destruction. Dry line thunderstorms are ongoing, severe at times from west Texas to western Kansas. Maybe some hail or gusty winds, but otherwise it’s Tuesday.

9:22PM While river flooding remains an issue along the Mississippi, it’s really gone down along the Ohio. Now, the cause is recent rains in Missouri, where some smaller creeks and tributaries are running high. With a few quiet days, the threat for any flooding should continue to wane.

953PM Another that is fairly summer like with the system sweeping the center of the country tonight: This is the last gasp. It won’t carry much energy tomorrow, because the parent system isn’t particularly well organized. This will leave plenty of atmospheric juice for things to percolate again later in the week in the southern Plains.

9:11AM – If anyone was curious, today is the type of day that southern California dreams are made of. It will be in the 70s throughout the LA Basin, and cooler down towards San Diego. It will warm slightly through the weekend, but for now, excessive heat is stayed.

11:01AM Looks like a pretty normal one from the SPC today, with a broad swath of slight risk yellow through the middle of the country. Some seriously summer vibes out of the outlook today.

But, um…. what’s the deal with all this pink in the Rockies, NWS?

8:15PM: The week ahead is going to provide more threats for severe weather, but not nearly as vivid as it was in the past few weeks. On the north end, there won’t be the snow inducing cold air. Instead, just enough to induce this cute graphics pack from NWS Aberdeen.

11:15AM: With spring running a bit cool right now, and so many stories about rain afflicting the mid-South and Appalachia, we would be forgiven to not realize how dry the northern High Plains have been. There are red flag warnings today from northeastern Colorado through the Dakotas. Compounding matters is the surface pattern, which is allowing for winds gusting 35-45 miles an hour. If fire does crop up, they will whip up and spread quickly across the prairies.

11:25PM Weatherbug had the best month forecasting last month, and while yes, the actual forecasting was good, I have to believe that a huge part of it is that they got rid of side scrolling for hourly forecasts.