EXPLAINER: Why today’s gust front killed rain chances and brought cooler air

Late Tuesday afternoon, windy conditions rolled through Mid-Missouri finally bringing an end to the stifling heat. The winds known as an outflow boundary were also responsible for bringing an end to storms across parts of Mid-Missouri. While no damage was reported with the windy conditions, there were reported gusts of 30-plus mph. The culprit was thanks to an outflow boundary, or a gust front as it is sometimes called.

To understand how a gust front forms, requires knowing the life cycle of thunderstorms. They are as follows:

– The developing stage

– The mature stage

– The dissipating stage

It’s in the mature stage where heavy downpours occur, which eventually overtakes the updraft stage. The heavy downpours forms a gust front as the rain-cooled air rushes out ahead of the storm. This mini cold front eventually cuts the storms off from the warm moisture rich air that was feeding the thunderstorm.

This is what occurred across central parts of Mid-Missouri, as the gust front brought an end to the rain for many of us. But not for long, as the boundary also aided in forming more storms in the southeastern parts of the region. Essentially, while an outflow boundary can kill storms, it can also provide the lift needed to trigger more storms.

Gear up for the potential for more storms and gust fronts this week, as widespread storms are expected through the next several days. Stay with us as we continue to monitor the trends and follow us on Twitter @ABC17Stormtrack.

The boundary can