The jet stream will help to steer severe storms on the western Plains away from the flooded Midwest. However, more rain could hit the flood zones on Thursday.

The Severe Weather Center reports a series of disturbances continue diving to the southeast across the western High Plains. Strong storms will continue to rattle places east of the Continental Divide from Montana to Texas early this morning.

The storms will produce heavy downpours, hail and damaging winds, while the potential for tornado development cannot be ruled out. Winds of 60 to 70 mph earlier Tuesday toppled trees and power lines as storms slammed through the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex.

Storm-related watches and warnings are in effect across the Plains.

Expert Senior Meteorologist John Kocet says the storms cascading out of the northern Rockies will feed on the very hot air pumping out of the Desert Southwest. According to Kocet, "anywhere from the Dakotas to Texas is fair game for storms over the next 48 hours, but the jet stream will steer the storms away from the flooded areas of the Midwest."

The Midwest Regional News story reports the severe flooding continues, although dry weather that will continue over the region through at least Thursday has brought some relief.

The battleground against the rising water Tuesday shifted to the Mississippi River. The Fox News Channel reports a levee broke earlier Tuesday south of Gulfport, Ill. Federal officials say more than two dozen levees along the Mississippi are at risk.

Millions of sandbags have been piled on top of the levees in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri in an effort to prevent overflowing.

Members of the Illinois National Guard load sandbags to help reinforce the levy along the Mississippi River near Quincy, Ill., Monday, June 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Ron Fournier, a spokesman with the Army Corps of Engineers in Iowa, said there is no way to predict if the effort will be a success.

Rivers in Iowa have crested, allowing some residents to return home to assess the damage. Much of Iowa City remains under water. On Monday, Mayor Regenia Bailey told reporters that it will take at least 10 days for the Iowa River to drop to the previous record flood level recorded in 1993.

Travel continues to be disrupted by the flooding. The levee breach on the Mississippi River Tuesday forced officials to close the Great River Bridge that connects Gulfport, Ill., and Burlington, Iowa. Downriver, the BNSF Railway swing span bridge has been closed to car traffic, while crews worked to raise the railroad tracks above floodwaters. BNSF Railway Company spokesman Steve Forsberg said the bridge had not closed to trains.

Interstate 80 in Iowa has reopened; however, Amtrak announced Tuesday the flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries has disrupted passenger rail service at Fort Madison and Burlington, Iowa, and south of St. Paul, Minn. With some highways still closed, alternate bus transportation is impossible in some cases.

A lengthy stretch of the Mississippi is closed to barge traffic. The river restriction and worries over crop losses from the flooding helped to spur rising prices Tuesday for corn and soybean futures rising at the Chicago Board of Trade. Analysts say the price of a bushel of corn could hit a new high after surging to above $8 a bushel on Monday.

The flooding is exacting tolls on the environment, finances and people's nerves. The flood waters have become a toxic soup of chemicals, waste, dead animals and other unsafe debris, while acres of standing water are a breeding ground for millions of mosquitoes.

Officials with the American Red Cross said Monday they have taken out loans after the agency's disaster relief fund was exhausted. A frustrated resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was arrested at gunpoint on Monday when he tried to drive past a police roadblock to get to his flooded home.

The storm track will shift to the east on Thursday, renewing the potential for more thunderstorms across Iowa and Missouri. Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews says, "there is no reason to believe the rain will be as heavy as what fell last week. However, any rain will be unwelcome with the rivers still over their banks."

The storms will continue to develop along the rim of heat in the Southwest. The Southwest Regional News story reports triple-digit temperatures will continue from the central valley of California across the Desert Southwest into New Mexico and Texas, while highs in the Rockies and along the Front Range by Wednesday will soar into the 80s and 90s.

While the heat continues in the Southwest, significantly cooler air has spread across much of the East and Southeast. According to the East Regional News story, high temperatures through Thursday will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal. There will be enough instability in the atmosphere to create the potential for spotty late-day showers and thunderstorms.

High Temperatures For Selected Cities:
City	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.		City	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.
Los Angeles	85	87	86	86		Phoenix	112	112	110	111
Portland	72	74	74	68		Seattle	67	66	69	67
Denver	94	85	87	91		Dallas	93	93	92	94
Omaha	82	77	81	85		St. Louis	81	80	83	84
Chicago	74	76	79	80		Detroit	66	72	75	77
Washington, D.C.	76	77	79	82		Philadelphia	75	75	78	82
New York City	73	73	76	80		Boston	73	72	73	77