Hurricane-force wind gusts in Colorado, dust storms in Kansas, tornadoes in Iowa in December – here’s what fueled a day of extreme storms

Posted Dec 20, 2021

Extremely powerful winds swept across a large part of the U.S. on Dec. 15, 2021, hitting several states with hurricane-force gusts. Record temperatures helped generate tornadoes in Iowa, winds spread grass fires and dust clouds in Kansas, and wind damage was reported from Colorado through the Midwest. The National Weather Service described it as a “historical weather day” with a “never-before-seen storm outlook.”

Iowa State University atmospheric scientist William Gallus was at the heart of the storms, and was asked to explain what caused the extreme weather and why it was so unusual.

Read Gallus’ full article in The Conversation here.