This week, southerly winds drew warm, moist air northward into the Central Plains, where it collided with colder air, spawning severe winds, golf-ball-size hail and a handful of tornadoes.
With yesterday's storms now moving eastward, Gensini forecasts a return to a persistent calm pattern for the rest of March. "I don't think we will see a tornado watch for the rest of the month," he told Live Science.
But don't expect the quiet to last. Tornadoes can strike any time of the year in the United States, and April, May and June are the big months for twisters in Tornado Alley. "We really haven't gotten to the heart of severe weather season yet," Gensini said.
And over the past three years, there have been deadly tornado outbreaks in Oklahoma and Arkansas in April and May, despite the dearth of twisters in earlier months.
Follow Becky Oskin @beckyoskin. Follow Live Science @livescience,Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.
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