Severe storms to rumble over central US every day this week
Rounds of severe thunderstorms will be a frequent visitor to portions of the central United States this week with the main focus each day over the southern and central Plains.
From Texas to North Carolina, Earth Day was marked by hail and lightning this year.
Daily rounds of dangerous thunderstorms are in the offing this week for the central United States, although no major outbreak of severe weather is foreseen, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Weather systems will zip right along from west to east across the U.S. this week. While moisture from the Gulf will be present much of the time, the forward speed of each system may prevent a widespread outbreak from occurring on any given day. However, some places could be hit by storms on multiple days in a row or at least two or three times this week.
Wednesday storms
The risk of severe thunderstorms will expand northward over the High Plains at midweek.
Locally powerful thunderstorms, some packing large hail, high winds and perhaps even a tornado, will extend from eastern New Mexico and western Texas to central Nebraska.
While the storms will bring downpours that can temporarily relieve drought at the local level, widespread soaking rain is not anticipated in this area.
Severe storms can bring a variety of kinds of icy precipitation. Do you know how to tell the difference between hail and graupel?
Thursday storms
Part of the same area affected by severe thunderstorms from Tuesday and Wednesday will be visited by potent thunderstorms on Thursday.
The main threat of severe weather on this day will extend from western Texas to eastern Colorado and western Kansas but also reach farther to the east into the central portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Because of the repeating nature of the storms over several days, the risk of flash flooding will increase in areas hit daily or more than once per day, along with the threats from damaging hail and high winds.
Friday storms
Near the end of the week, the risk of severe thunderstorms will continue over portions of the Plains but also extend hundreds of miles farther to the east over portions of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys.
A solid zone of severe weather is not likely, but rather a couple of pockets of potent storms with high winds, hail and perhaps a couple of tornadoes are expected.
Much of the rain that falls over the southern and central Plains will occur in areas that can handle a few inches of rain over several days. Problems from flooding will become more common farther to the east, where rain has been a frequent visitor in recent days and weeks.
More storms to follow, focus on Plains next week
Additional thunderstorms will fire up over the Central states this weekend to next week.
At this time, it appears the greatest concentration of severe weather will be over the Great Plains.
On Monday afternoon and night the focus will shift more to the central and northern Plains, but well away from the Rockies.
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