Severe storms to bring hazards, needed rain to Plains states
AccuWeather forecasters say multiple rounds of severe weather will target the South Central states through the end of the week.
AccuWeather meteorologists say rounds of severe weather will threaten a portion of the south-central United States through the end of the week, bringing both good and bad news to the region.
Meaningful rainfall has been difficult to come by across the Plains states where persistent drought conditions range in severity from moderate to exceptional, the highest category on the U.S. Drought Monitor's scale. Although the weather pattern through the end of the week will bring some welcome rain to the region, it will also spark the risk of damaging thunderstorms, according to forecasters.
The stormy culprit will be a cold front sweeping from northwest to southeast across the nation's midsection through Friday. As this front collides with warm, moist air along its path, feisty thunderstorms can develop each afternoon.
Compared to Wednesday, severe storms dropped farther to the south across the Plains states into Thursday evening.
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The cold front and subsequent severe weather risk will progress to the south and east at the end of the week, putting areas from the Big Bend of Texas to portions of the lower Ohio Valley in the zone at risk for damaging thunderstorms.
AccuWeather meteorologists say wind gusts that are strong enough to knock down trees and power lines, as well as large hail, will be the main hazards once again to close out the week. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area will face its greatest risk of severe thunderstorms late Friday.
"Travelers along I-30 and I-35 could be met with hazardous driving conditions, including ponding on roadways and reduced visibility in the heaviest thunderstorms," AccuWeather Meteorologist Haley Taylor said.
AccuWeather experts remind those who have outdoor plans in the areas at risk over the next few days to keep a close eye on the sky and seek proper shelter if thunder is heard.
On Monday, a lightning strike in Bosque County, Texas, located south of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, killed one man and injured his six-year-old son as the pair were walking home from a school bus stop, The Dallas Morning News reported. As of Tuesday afternoon, the child remained hospitalized.
Rain could help put a small dent in the drought
The stormy weather may not be ideal for those with outdoor or travel plans, but it will be welcome news for those in dire need of rain across the region.
"This rain will not totally alleviate the drought, but if it happens, it will certainly put a dent in it," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
In addition to the wet weather expected into Friday across the hardest-hit drought areas, AccuWeather meteorologists say there will be more opportunities for rounds of thunderstorms dropping beneficial rain across the Plains states into late May.
Since the rain will be coming from pop-up thunderstorms as opposed to a larger, more uniform swath of rain, there will still be some areas that miss out on meaningful precipitation.
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