AUSTIN (KXAN) — The dryline plays an important role in Texas severe weather forecasting. The National Weather Service defines it as “a boundary separating moist and dry air masses, and an important factor in severe weather frequency in the Great Plains.” The location of a dryline is key in determining where severe weather will occur.
The dryline is classified by moisture, unlike cold and warm fronts. Ahead of the dryline, there is warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, while behind it is warm, dry air.
During the day, the dryline advances eastward as the warm air causes the dry air to move forward. At night, radiational cooling at the surface causes the dryline to retreat westward.
The low-pressure system to the north causes these different air masses—dry and moist—to clash, which enhances thunderstorm development. Severe cells typically form along or to the right of the dryline.
Thunderstorms that develop along the dryline have the potential to produce destructive tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.
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