Tidbits before the storms hit | The Wichita Eagle

Storm chasers are converging on the Wichita area today as conditions favor the development of strong thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes.

Don’t be surprised if crews from Vortex 2, the largest field experiment in history to document tornadoes, show up in the area.

Scott Roberts, who has chased storms for years for local television stations, told me he has packed up his personal documents to take with him when he goes chasing this afternoon. The last time he did that was April 26, 1991 - the day an EF5 tornado hit Haysville, Wichita and Andover.

The Storm Prediction Center has updated its convective outlook, compressing the moderate risk zone and shifting it slightly southeast from earlier this morning.

The northern boundary now more closely follows U.S. 56, not I-70, and the western edge is now closer to Pratt than Greensburg. The eastern edge of the moderate is now in western Missouri.

Cities in the moderate zone include Wichita, Wellington, Hutchinson, Pratt, McPherson, Parsons, Pittsburg, Winfield and Arkansas City.