Severe storms to bring downpours, powerful winds and damaging hail to central US
Severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours capable of producing flash flooding will both repeat and jump around from day to day over the central United States through the remainder of this week.
Days after extreme flooding in the Texas Hill Country, those who made it through are recalling the unfathomable destruction as families keep up a desperate search for loved ones.
Rounds of thunderstorms will roll over the top of a heat dome in the western United States and slide southeastward over the middle of the nation throughout the rest of this week. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that some of the storms will be severe.
The setup is a common one for severe weather on a nearly daily basis. Where the storms repeat, the risk of flash flooding will be greatest, as the ground will be saturated in some cases.
The main threats from the storms, beyond torrential downpours and the lightning that accompanies them, will be the potential for damaging wind gusts and significant hail.
Into Tuesday night, the highest risk or concentration of severe thunderstorms will extend in an arc from southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois to northwestern Texas, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado.
The storms Tuesday afternoon and evening will affect the metro areas of St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma. They could approach Chicago later Tuesday night.
As the likelihood of this severe weather batch pushes into the East Wednesday, the atmosphere will reload over the northern Plains.
Areas from central Montana to the Dakotas, eastern Wyoming and northern and western Nebraska will be at risk for severe weather during Wednesday afternoon and night. The AccuWeather StormMax™ wind gust for the storms Wednesday is 80 mph.
On Thursday, this newer batch of severe weather will ramp up over the Dakotas and shift farther to the east and south over the Central states, reaching western portions of Minnesota and Iowa and extending to southern Nebraska, northern and western Kansas, and northwestern Missouri.
A more concentrated zone of severe thunderstorms will extend from southeastern North Dakota to much of western and northern Kansas, including the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
On Friday, the severe weather threat will focus a bit farther to the east over the Central states. Friday's severe weather threat will extend from northern Minnesota and southern and western Wisconsin to central Missouri and eastern Kansas.
Omaha, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Des Moines, Iowa, will be at risk. Once again, the storms may approach Chicago later at night.
As the culprit for potential severe weather Friday continues to move along, the risk of severe weather may increase farther to the east over the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley Saturday.
Severe thunderstorms occasionally can trigger a brief tornado. On any given day through Saturday, there will be the potential for a couple of tornadoes to be spawned in the strongest storms.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
