Day 1: Southwest Missouri/southeast Kansas

Update 2:05AM CDT Thursday: Home after 26 hours awake and 21 on the road. Possibly a chase tomorrow if I feel rested. Photos and video to come.

Update 5:37AM CDT Wednesday: Departing New Baden/STL and heading west on I-44 in the next few minutes. Preliminary target is Joplin, MO - will likely move west into KS or southwest into OK from there as data dictates. A little concerned from IR sat loop and latest RUC that the low may be tracking further south than expected.

Posted 12:08AM CDT Wednesday: I never imagined I'd be starting my 2010 Plains tornado season blog this early, but when a good opportunity arises, I have to take it! A potent tornado setup is shown by models taking place in the tri-state region of Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday afternoon. A combination of instability, moisture, upper support and a surface low will combine to create favorable conditions for supercells from mid-afternoon Wednesday into the overnight hours. The potential exists for several strong tornadoes if one or two supercells can remain isolated through the evening and after dark. As the night progresses, a strong squall line should develop and head northeast toward the St. Louis area.

Since this event falls well within my new extended home chase area, it's an easy decision to jump on it. I plan to leave at dawn with an arrival in my 'staging area' target of Joplin, MO by noon. This chase has the potential to lead me eastward through the night, with hopefully not much of a drive needed to get home after all is said and done. This is definitely a chase opportunity made possible by living in St. Louis - not one I'd be likely to try from WV. I will update this blog when I can, but I will put a greater priority on channeling updates through the Facebook and Twitter feeds.