Severe threat to target Kansas, Oklahoma into Thursday evening
The severe weather risk is ramping up across the central U.S. with Wednesday bringing the first of many rounds of potentially damaging storms.
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Apr 20, 2022 7:07 AM EST
|
Updated Apr 20, 2022 8:22 PM EST
Severe storms swept through the panhandle region of Florida on April 16. Lightning spiders were spotted scattering across the stormy sky above Molino.
April was highlighted as a month to watch out for severe weather in AccuWeather's annual spring forecast, and the forecast is coming to fruition with more rounds of severe thunderstorms across the central United States in the coming days.
Wednesday kicked off with a few non-severe storms over eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas, but more powerful thunderstorms are predicted to develop Wednesday evening and continue after dark.
"As a cold front interacts with the peak heating of the day across Kansas into western Missouri and northeastern and central Oklahoma, spotty severe thunderstorms will develop," explained AccuWeather Lead Storm Warning Meteorologist William Clark.
Temperatures in much of the region soared into the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit on Wednesday afternoon. Oklahoma City passed 90 F for the first time this year before the storms ignite, reaching 92 degrees F around 4 p.m. CDT.
In addition to the warmth, humidity will also be on the rise as southerly winds bring in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The moisture will contribute to some of the storms containing downpours. Despite an ongoing drought in portions of the region, the rain may fall heavily enough to produce localized flash flooding, and that will be just one potential issue.
"The main hazards with storms will likely be downpours, large hail and damaging winds, but an isolated tornado is not out of the question," said Clark.
The air will not be as warm nor as humid in northeastern Kansas and west-central Missouri, including Kansas City. This will reduce the risk of flooding, damaging winds or tornadoes, but hail is still a possibility.
The severe storms will linger through the evening before waning overnight.
Thursday is likely to be a repeat of Wednesday with spotty severe thunderstorms once again developing in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and western Missouri. The storms will develop during the late afternoon and evening hours along much of the Interstate 35 corridor with large hail and powerful wind gusts being the primary threats. A couple of the strongest storms could spawn tornadoes.
The threat of severe thunderstorms will continue across the central U.S. through the end of the week and into the start of the weekend.
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The risk for severe weather will increase significantly on Friday. This risk will extend much farther to the north, possibly into eastern South Dakota. A large zone from Minnesota to Texas may then have to contend with severe weather to begin the weekend.
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 threat to target Kansas, Oklahoma into Thursday evening
The severe weather risk is ramping up across the central U.S. with Wednesday bringing the first of many rounds of potentially damaging storms.
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Apr 20, 2022 7:07 AM EST | Updated Apr 20, 2022 8:22 PM EST
Severe storms swept through the panhandle region of Florida on April 16. Lightning spiders were spotted scattering across the stormy sky above Molino.
April was highlighted as a month to watch out for severe weather in AccuWeather's annual spring forecast, and the forecast is coming to fruition with more rounds of severe thunderstorms across the central United States in the coming days.
Wednesday kicked off with a few non-severe storms over eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas, but more powerful thunderstorms are predicted to develop Wednesday evening and continue after dark.
"As a cold front interacts with the peak heating of the day across Kansas into western Missouri and northeastern and central Oklahoma, spotty severe thunderstorms will develop," explained AccuWeather Lead Storm Warning Meteorologist William Clark.
Temperatures in much of the region soared into the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit on Wednesday afternoon. Oklahoma City passed 90 F for the first time this year before the storms ignite, reaching 92 degrees F around 4 p.m. CDT.
In addition to the warmth, humidity will also be on the rise as southerly winds bring in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. The moisture will contribute to some of the storms containing downpours. Despite an ongoing drought in portions of the region, the rain may fall heavily enough to produce localized flash flooding, and that will be just one potential issue.
"The main hazards with storms will likely be downpours, large hail and damaging winds, but an isolated tornado is not out of the question," said Clark.
The air will not be as warm nor as humid in northeastern Kansas and west-central Missouri, including Kansas City. This will reduce the risk of flooding, damaging winds or tornadoes, but hail is still a possibility.
The severe storms will linger through the evening before waning overnight.
Thursday is likely to be a repeat of Wednesday with spotty severe thunderstorms once again developing in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and western Missouri. The storms will develop during the late afternoon and evening hours along much of the Interstate 35 corridor with large hail and powerful wind gusts being the primary threats. A couple of the strongest storms could spawn tornadoes.
The threat of severe thunderstorms will continue across the central U.S. through the end of the week and into the start of the weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The risk for severe weather will increase significantly on Friday. This risk will extend much farther to the north, possibly into eastern South Dakota. A large zone from Minnesota to Texas may then have to contend with severe weather to begin the weekend.
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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.
Report a Typo