WEATHERAmerica Newsletter; Sunday, May 17, 2026; SHORT RANGE OUTLOOK

[Larry Cosgrove]

SHORT RANGE OUTLOOK

(Through The Next 72 Hours)

 

Cold Air Over The West Pushes Slowly Eastward; Strong Thunderstorm Threats Abound

METEOBLUE

University Of Wisconsin (3)

TwisterData. Com (3)

UQAM Meteocentre (3)

PivotalWeather.Com (3)

College Of DuPage Weather Laboratory

WeatherBELL

The warming air mass across the eastern half of the USA will be challenged by a gigantic trough over the central/eastern Pacific Basin during the near term and medium range. I note that the heat ridge over the Sargasso Sea will expand, force out the TUTT signature in the Bahamas, and help to push moisture and energy north and west. This conflicts with the slow advance of the aforementioned 500MB trough, which by Tuesday will have advanced no further than the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Severe weather threats will be a constant presence during the next 72 hours over the Great Plains and the Midwest, with perhaps some shift southward into Texas and Louisiana by Wednesday night. Colder values will weaken as the surface front is forced to slow and possibly stall across the Heartland on Tuesday.