Severe thunderstorm risk to persist through the weekend
As part of the Midwest and Northeast catch a break from violent thunderstorms, the South Central states will remain at risk for severe weather through the end of the weekend, AccuWeather experts say.
Severe weather on the evening of May 16 included several tornadoes, which caused immense damage to buildings and trees. Affected towns are in the process of recovering victims and assessing damage.
Following deadly severe weather, including tornadoes, on Thursday and Friday that left at least 29 people dead, potent storms this weekend will bridge the gap ahead of another severe weather outbreak early this week in portions of the central and eastern United States, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
There were at least 370 severe weather reports from Thursday, followed by more than 700 incidents of violent thunderstorms on Friday. Of these, there were at least 58 preliminary tornadoes that will be investigated in the coming days.
Along with tornadoes, the storms produced wind gusts to hurricane strength (74 mph or greater) and hail to the size of baseballs and softballs.
Although additional severe thunderstorms are in store on Sunday, many areas of the Midwest will get a break as crews work to clean up fallen trees and restore power. But while the overall intensity of the storms to end the weekend will likely not be as extreme as those on Thursday and Friday, some can pack a punch in places.
Storms packed a punch in New England and southern Plains Saturday and Saturday night
Thunderstorms tracked across New York and and western New England on Saturday. Strong winds within theses storms knocked down trees and power lines. Hail up to the size of quarters and ping pong balls was also reported.
Severe thunderstorms also erupted across a separate area through Saturday night, which extended from central Oklahoma and Texas to Mississippi. Hail up to the size of softballs and damaging wind gusts of near 70 mph occurred. A tornado was also preliminary reported in central Oklahoma.
Storms to focus on south-central US through Sunday night
On Sunday, the severe weather threat will generally be focused on the central and southern Plains where large hail, powerful wind gusts and tornadoes will all be possible.
AccuWeather severe weather experts have issued a "high" risk for severe thunderstorms in portions of central and northwestern Kansas. This zone will be at most risk for destructive hail and tornadoes, some of which can be particularly strong and long lasting.
The severe weather threat will extend from central Texas, northward to southeastern Wyoming and Nebraska and as far to the east as far western Illinois and Tennessee.
Similar to the past few days, clusters of thunderstorms with heavy rain and gusty, locally damaging winds can dive into the Southeast and impact parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to end the weekend.
Significant severe weather outbreak looms for Monday, Tuesday
As a storm pushes out from the Rockies, severe weather and the risk of tornadoes may hit a full stride over portions of the Plains and Mississippi Valley on Monday and Tuesday.
AccuWeather meteorologists believe there is the potential for a significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms that includes multiple tornadoes. Some of the tornadoes could be strong and on the ground for miles should the situation escalate to its full potential.
Where storms repeat over the hours and days in the middle of the nation, the likelihood of flash urban flooding can be followed by the flooding of small streams and significant rises on some of the secondary rivers in the region.
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