I am not sure if this is really the right place to post this, but since it has to do with the monsoon, I will post it here. Mods, feel free to move if this is the wrong place. My question is this: to what extent could this week's major flood events in St. Louis and in Kentucky be connected to the Southwest monsoon? I know there are other factors involved - a stationary front, the jet stream, and moisture directly from the Gulf of Mexico, for example. But I have also noticed that past several years looking at satellite pictures that clouds associated with the monsoon plume don't just stop when they get past the 4 Corners states, but often continue east or northeastward into the Midwest. Usually this time of year, big storms associated with stationary fronts or with the north edge of the heat dome are farther north, in places like Minnesota or Iowa. But often, in looking at satellite pictures, they seem to be a continuation of the monsoon plume. And with this week's flooding storms, that also looks to be true if you look at satellite pictures. Yet, although I lived in the Midwest (various places) for 60+ years before moving out west after retirement, I never heard any meteorologist associate any storms there with the monsoon. Yet there does appear to me to be some association. In addition to the satellite, "ridge runner" storms seem to circulate around much of the heat dome that is usually over the South and parts of the Midwest this time of year, and the northward surging moisture of the monsoon on the west side of the heat dome/high pressure area is part of this pattern. So, understanding that other factors are involved and that storms like those in St. Louis and Kentucky are not just a simple extension of the monsoon, I would be interested in any feedback on how they are related. And if indeed that is true, why don't people in the Midwest hear about it in weather broadcasts and articles. Thanks for any input anyone can share!
