Powerhouse storm system to bring threat of severe weather to south-central US late this weekend
Energy from the storm bringing multiple hazards to California will set the table for severe weather across the southern Plains this weekend.
Energy from the same powerful storm that will bring multiple hazards, including blizzard conditions, to the West late this week will help renew the threat of severe weather across the southern Plains this weekend, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
Destructive wind gusts, damaging hail, flooding downpours and even tornadoes are all on the table as the storm re-forms over the Plains beginning late Sunday and sparks thunderstorms. The concern for severe weather will be greatest during the nighttime hours when most people will be asleep, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
All the ingredients for severe weather will be in place over the south-central United States once the energy from the western storm arrives in the region.
"As winds from the south strengthen, warm and very moist air will be transported rapidly north to fuel the eruption of late-afternoon thunderstorms from the Texas panhandle to southwestern Kansas," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joe Lundberg. "The thunderstorms will quickly intensify and move east-northeastward Sunday night across portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, northern Texas and southwest Missouri."
The greatest threat of severe weather will unfold after dark and last through about midnight from north-central Texas into southwest Missouri. This includes portions of Interstates 35, 40 and 44, as well as the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, and Oklahoma City. It is in this area where the risk for tornadoes will be greatest.
Severe weather may continue after midnight as well, even if it becomes more isolated in nature. Rain and thunderstorms are likely to roll through St. Louis around sunrise, with some storms expected to pack a strong punch as they roll through. High wind gusts and heavy rain will be the primary threats during this time.
The threat of severe weather in the south-central U.S. late this weekend will evolve from a powerful storm that will be moving through parts of the West from late this week into early this weekend.
Severe weather can be especially dangerous at night when many people are sleeping and often unable to receive timely warnings, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. "The AccuWeather app can be set to receive these warnings and other notifications at night," he said.
The same storm that will be responsible for the severe weather threat will evolve into an even more powerful storm as it moves into the Midwest early next week. A large swath of heavy rain and gusty winds is expected to unfold from the central Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley into parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley on Monday and Monday night. Localized flooding will be possible, mere days after portions of this area were hit by a winter storm with snow and ice.
The chances for severe weather are unlikely to end Sunday night. Due to the storm's track and strength, a few thunderstorms could turn feisty again come Monday afternoon and evening in parts of the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys. While the overall risk for damaging winds, hail and tornadoes will be lower than the day prior, forecasters say these storms could cause some concern, including around the cities of Indianapolis, Louisville and Nashville.
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