Unstable air and a favorable jet stream wind pattern will conspire to bring a threat of severe weather to the Ozarks Friday – Sunday, May 24-26.
Starting with Friday, there will be sufficient albeit somewhat unfocused severe weather threats in the area today. A band of lighter showers and a few thunderstorms will move through the Ozarks this morning. Activity along and perhaps behind this advancing line will bear some stronger storms later today with the main threat for isolated large hail and severe wind gusts. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out but the chances are pretty low.
Saturday will see a potential large outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the central Great Plains including Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. This is a usual scenario for the Ozarks as we will be subject to these same storms approaching us by evening. They do appear to lose a great deal of their punch as this happens however they will still need to be watched. It looks like they will remain more scattered than form a line at this point.
Sunday will see storms initiate over the Ozarks and head east. It appears as of this writing (Friday morning) that the unstable air will cover the Ozarks to start the day and not be subject to much of a push until evening. Being two days out, the timing and intensity will have to be watched carefully.