Overnight storms / Cool feature on radar

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(3:41:25 AM) iembot: LOT issues Areal Flood Advisory for Boone, De Kalb, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Winnebago [IL] till 9:30 AM CDT

(3:37:42 AM) iembot: MKX cancels Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Rock [WI]

(3:28:17 AM) iembot: MKX: Janesville [Rock Co, WI] law enforcement reports TSTM WND DMG at 03:20 AM CDT -- electrical wires blown down at intersection of blackhawk and ruger.

(3:21:41 AM) iembot: DVN: East Dubuque [Jo Daviess Co, IL] trained spotter reports TSTM WND GST of E50 MPH at 03:05 AM CDT -- estimated wind gust of 45 to 50 mph from the north.

(3:14:18 AM) iembot: MKX issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Rock [WI] till 3:45 AM CDT

(3:06:04 AM) iembot: MKX issues Flash Flood Warning for Jefferson, Rock [WI] till 5:00 AM CDT

(1:53:13 AM) iembot: Storm Prediction Center issues Mesoscale Discussion #1769 (View text)

(12:54:20 AM) iembot: MKX issues Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Green, Rock [WI] till 1:30 AM CDT

10:43 p.m.: Central Iowa just got put under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch because storms are finally sprouting in the area that was quiet. I would expect the line to continue to fill in as the night wears on. I'm not too concerned over the severe threat here. There may be some stronger cells that are a bit rambunctious, but I do not expect a widespread major wind event. The storms will be coming through deep into the night when it's fairly hard for them to be particularly intense.

Original Post:

See that curly shape south of Duluth? That's what we call a "mesoscale convective vortex," or an MCV. It's basically a miniature low pressure that develops in part of a line of storms. Now that the resolution of the Weather Service doppler radars is even finer, we're able to see these things pretty easily.

This line is pushing off to the east, so those particular storms won't impact us at all. The storms that would pass through here would be needing to develop in Iowa. That hasn't really happened too much yet. The low-level jet stream (a strong conveyor belt of moisture not too far above the ground) may get some storms to fire as the night wears on.