as was 1955 and most years in the 1950's.

We talk about climate change, but there is still a natural cycle and it appears we're going through the same part of the cycle that occurred in the 30's and the 50's. Climate change did not cause this, but rather it enhances it.

And even the Super Outbreak of '74 happened before global warming REALLY got started....that wasn't until later in the '70s.
(Though, TBH, watching out for trends is always helpful; we just gotta be careful not to conflate those with obvious coincidences like the back-to-back occurrence heat waves and 2011 AND 2012, that's all)

We have had 2 or 3 weeks of sunny 80 degree weather here in the rainy PNW. Very very strange for spring!

so people downstream in the midwest and Dixie need to pay attention to the weather over the next few days.

This time of year, rain in my area isn't good news for folks farther east.

Two weeks ago, and again today we had a deluge (I'm in Houston) along with large hail and a high amount of lightning strikes. I was reading a little bit of Dr. Jeff Masters' blog a week or so ago about how the jet stream had taken a huge dip down into the continent and that was part of why the weather has been like this lately.

The few places that did heat up had some storms. But cool air riding into cool air does not cause a lot of uplift.

Or downdraft. Which is recognized for strong winds. A developing theory is that a strong downdraft actually causes some tornadic winds. The basis for that is what goes up must come down. So as warm air rises rapidly it creates space for downdrafts. If you look at some tornado damage you can see that buildings in some cases look like they were smashed from directly overhead: A Downdraft... not sideways wind or lifting winds.

see some tornado activity. Hope not.

I'm no meteorologist, but it may be possible, I think....