THE DRYLINE – no place in the world has a dryline as robust, sharp and impactful as we have in North America.
It's an extreme clash that exists on an order of miles. Tropical, Florida-like moisture juxtaposed against desert dryness.
In Oklahoma, a simple drive of 5 miles separates a Sahara-like airmass from rainforest-like moisture. Unless you've experienced it, it's hard to believe. Dew points will vary by 50 degrees in barely 8 miles!
The dryline is responsible for some of our nation's most dramatic weather. The clashing air masses routinely brew severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, baseball-sized hail and torrential rains. Like clockwork, rounds of violent storms crop up every April and May.
Unlike cold fronts, drylines don't bring dropping temperatures. It often stays warm or even gets HOTTER behind storms.
So how does the dryline work? Thunderstorms happen because the dry air is denser than moist air. Yes, really! Air is mostly nitrogen gas (N2), which weighs more per molecule than water vapor (water gas). So the more water in the air, the lighter the air is compared to dry air, which is mostly N2.
That's why the dry, dense air effectively impinges upon, and kicks up, pockets of moisture-laden air to the east. That often generates storms.