Severe storms to rattle nearly a dozen states in the Heartland
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 28, 2022 12:38 PM EST
|
Updated Apr 29, 2022 6:43 PM EST
A developing storm system is poised to deliver a couple of days of potentially dangerous and damaging thunderstorms into Saturday night in portions of the Plains and Midwest, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The storm was beginning to strengthen while emerging from the Rockies at the end of the week. As the storm ramps up, all facets of severe weather will be possible ranging from hail the size of golf balls and tennis balls to powerful wind gusts and flash flooding.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 100 mph can occur with some of the strongest storms into Friday night.
There is also the potential for tornadoes, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
Some of the tornadoes may be strong and could be on the ground for an extended period of time in portions of eastern Kansas, central and southeastern Nebraska, southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri into Friday night, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.
On Friday evening, a confirmed tornado was located near Stamford, Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service. Large hail was also reported throughout Nebraska and Kansas on Friday. A tornado was also reported 8 miles south of Abilene, Kansas.
Golf ball size hail was reported in several locations in southwestern Nebraska including near Gothenburg, which is just west of North Platte. Later on in the evening, tennis ball sized hail was seen in Axtell, Nebraska.
Some of the major cities likely to be at risk for severe weather Friday evening include Topeka and Wichita, Kansas; Oklahoma City; Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; and Kansas City, Missouri.
"A combination of strong winds from a strengthening jet stream, along with plentiful moisture moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico, will set the stage for severe thunderstorms across much of the central Plains into Friday night," Johnson-Levine said.
On Saturday, the risk of severe thunderstorms will shift farther to the east and northeast across part of the Mississippi Valley, including St. Louis, during the afternoon. The storms will also extend into a portion of the Great Lakes region that will include the Chicago metro area from late Saturday afternoon to Saturday evening.
Atmospheric conditions may limit the number of the strongest storms both Friday and Saturday, but the storms that manage to erupt can pack quite a punch in some communities.
"Into Friday night, it is a layer of warm, dry air aloft that could cause storms to be isolated, rather than a more widespread event," said Johnson-Levine, who added that a smaller amount of warm, moist air may limit the intensity of some of the thunderstorms on Saturday.
Although storms will be to the east of Nebraska and Kansas by Saturday, there will still be a risk of an expansive area of strong winds. Cheyenne, Wyoming; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, are just a few locations where winds may be strong enough to cause localized power outages to begin the weekend.
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The same storm system causing the potential for severe weather will bring drenching rain to portions of the northern Plains that have been hit by both rain and snowstorms in recent weeks. Melting and runoff from the storms have pushed the Red River of the North to major flood stage in some communities.
Where large pools of water are not present, many fields are saturated and will take many weeks to dry out. Rain from the storm into this weekend can aggravate flooding and soggy fields, forecasters say.
Severe storms may bring sporadic drought relief next week
Another round of thunderstorms farther south early next week may bring severe weather and also beneficial downpours to some drought-ravaged locations of the Plains.
This round of severe weather is forecast to ramp up over the Plains on Sunday and Monday.
As a parade of storms continues to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and across the Western states, one such storm may track far enough to the south to tap into Gulf of Mexico moisture sooner rather than later.
A stalled front may help bring drenching showers and thunderstorms to portions of northern and western Texas and western and central Oklahoma early next week, AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Much of this region is experiencing moderate to exceptional long-term drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. Any soaking rain would be more than welcomed in the region.
While the storms could ultimately end up being spotty in nature, some communities could be hit with so much rain at once that flash flooding will be possible.
There is also the likelihood of severe weather accompanying some of the storms. Despite the prospect of much-needed rain for a portion of the southern High Plains early next week, it may be difficult for any rain to reach very far to the west in drought-plagued New Mexico.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
Severe storms to rattle nearly a dozen states in the Heartland
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 28, 2022 12:38 PM EST | Updated Apr 29, 2022 6:43 PM EST
A developing storm system is poised to deliver a couple of days of potentially dangerous and damaging thunderstorms into Saturday night in portions of the Plains and Midwest, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The storm was beginning to strengthen while emerging from the Rockies at the end of the week. As the storm ramps up, all facets of severe weather will be possible ranging from hail the size of golf balls and tennis balls to powerful wind gusts and flash flooding.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust of 100 mph can occur with some of the strongest storms into Friday night.
There is also the potential for tornadoes, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
Some of the tornadoes may be strong and could be on the ground for an extended period of time in portions of eastern Kansas, central and southeastern Nebraska, southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri into Friday night, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Andrew Johnson-Levine.
On Friday evening, a confirmed tornado was located near Stamford, Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service. Large hail was also reported throughout Nebraska and Kansas on Friday. A tornado was also reported 8 miles south of Abilene, Kansas.
Golf ball size hail was reported in several locations in southwestern Nebraska including near Gothenburg, which is just west of North Platte. Later on in the evening, tennis ball sized hail was seen in Axtell, Nebraska.
Some of the major cities likely to be at risk for severe weather Friday evening include Topeka and Wichita, Kansas; Oklahoma City; Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; and Kansas City, Missouri.
"A combination of strong winds from a strengthening jet stream, along with plentiful moisture moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico, will set the stage for severe thunderstorms across much of the central Plains into Friday night," Johnson-Levine said.
On Saturday, the risk of severe thunderstorms will shift farther to the east and northeast across part of the Mississippi Valley, including St. Louis, during the afternoon. The storms will also extend into a portion of the Great Lakes region that will include the Chicago metro area from late Saturday afternoon to Saturday evening.
Atmospheric conditions may limit the number of the strongest storms both Friday and Saturday, but the storms that manage to erupt can pack quite a punch in some communities.
"Into Friday night, it is a layer of warm, dry air aloft that could cause storms to be isolated, rather than a more widespread event," said Johnson-Levine, who added that a smaller amount of warm, moist air may limit the intensity of some of the thunderstorms on Saturday.
Although storms will be to the east of Nebraska and Kansas by Saturday, there will still be a risk of an expansive area of strong winds. Cheyenne, Wyoming; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, are just a few locations where winds may be strong enough to cause localized power outages to begin the weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The same storm system causing the potential for severe weather will bring drenching rain to portions of the northern Plains that have been hit by both rain and snowstorms in recent weeks. Melting and runoff from the storms have pushed the Red River of the North to major flood stage in some communities.
Where large pools of water are not present, many fields are saturated and will take many weeks to dry out. Rain from the storm into this weekend can aggravate flooding and soggy fields, forecasters say.
Severe storms may bring sporadic drought relief next week
Another round of thunderstorms farther south early next week may bring severe weather and also beneficial downpours to some drought-ravaged locations of the Plains.
This round of severe weather is forecast to ramp up over the Plains on Sunday and Monday.
As a parade of storms continues to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and across the Western states, one such storm may track far enough to the south to tap into Gulf of Mexico moisture sooner rather than later.
A stalled front may help bring drenching showers and thunderstorms to portions of northern and western Texas and western and central Oklahoma early next week, AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Much of this region is experiencing moderate to exceptional long-term drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. Any soaking rain would be more than welcomed in the region.
While the storms could ultimately end up being spotty in nature, some communities could be hit with so much rain at once that flash flooding will be possible.
There is also the likelihood of severe weather accompanying some of the storms. Despite the prospect of much-needed rain for a portion of the southern High Plains early next week, it may be difficult for any rain to reach very far to the west in drought-plagued New Mexico.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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