In May I set out to drive across the country from coastal North Carolina to coastal California. May is a great month for such a drive. It's not too hot, not too cold, and only a little stormy. I wasn't really worried about the weather, but I did have a contingency plan for north Texas. In the days leading up tp the trip, north Texas and Oklahoma had regular severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings. This is not uncommon for the region.

On average, north Texas has 43 tornadoes during the month of May. The region experiences so many tornadoes in May primarily because of a perfect mix of atmospheric conditions that peak during this time of year. Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico streams northward while cool, dry air from the Rocky Mountains streams south. The air masses clash creating instability which fuels intense storms.

My drive through the storm belt was largely uneventful. The weather was unsettled across all of north Texas. At any given time, storms were visible along with patches of blue sky and sunshine. Storm watching was a great way to keep me entertained as I passed through flat landscape that is north Texas.