Spring in the Ozarks

Spring in the Ozarks can be pretty volatile as far as the weather goes. This spring has been quite exceptional with too much rain and flooding and some very violent storms with hail, strong winds and tornadoes. Many of the homes in my neighborhood have (or are getting) new roofs from wind and/or hail damage. We're the lucky ones. Many in nearby communities have had their homes completely destroyed by storms. This past weekend, several lost their lives in northeast Oklahoma and southwest Missouri.

Although we get our share of severe storms, we also miss many storms due to a plateau that begins in northeast Oklahoma and continues eastward into south-central Missouri and northern Arkansas. If you look at a topographical map, you'll see what I mean.

Many systems start to break apart and divide north and south of the geographic rise sending storms to the north and south of us. It's pretty interesting to watch on the weather radar at the control tower. It's far from a fool proof protection against the violence of nature, but I have seen both devastating storms and much needed rain miss us as systems break up.

Ozark is derived from the French aux arc and is a beautiful area of the country. There are wineries and orchards, many rivers and lakes, hiking, biking and riding trails, National parks, great caves to tour and much more. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement for the area, but it is a great place to live or to visit. If you ever plan on making a trip to visit the area, drop me a note. I'd love to meet up with you and show you some of the attractions. My fees as a tour guide are modest and affordable!

John