Severe thunderstorm risks to remain focused over nation's midsection this week
AccuWeather long-range meteorologists say the active weather pattern across the central U.S. will continue into this week, bringing with it the opportunity for more rainfall and severe weather chances.
Summertime heat and humidity will help fuel multiple rounds of thunderstorms into early week across the central United States, and many of the storms can become severe, according to AccuWeather forecasters.
With the threat of storms spanning such a large area, few in the central U.S. will be spared from heavy rain that will interrupt outdoor plans at least once over the next few days. Meteorologists say a smaller segment of the population will have to deal with travel-disrupting gusty winds, hail and even a tornado or two.
As drenching thunderstorms target parts of the East, the severe weather threat will fan out across the Plains and into portions of the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys through Sunday night. In some areas, the risk of hefty storms will persist for several days.
Friday was yet another busy day of severe weather, especially across the central and southern Plains. Damaging wind gusts became quite widespread in the Texas Panhandle, including a destructive 96 mph wind gust in Lipscomb, Texas. Farther north, lightning proved to be the main hazard. As thunderstorms rolled through the Plains, a lightning strike struck a grain silo and injured at least 6 people near Shelby, Nebraska, located roughly 70 miles west of Omaha.
The activity continued into the Saturday, with numerous severe weather reports during the afternoon and evening across Wyoming and eastern Colorado. Later at night, these storms formed into an intense squall line that slid through much of Oklahoma, bringing large hail and destructive winds along with it.
In addition to those severe hazards, flooding has been a major concern. A flash flood warning was in effect for Oklahoma City early Sunday morning, due to several inches of rain that fell in the span of an hour.
"Some complexes of storms could be long-lasting and bring damaging wind gusts to large areas," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty. "The threat in the nation's midsection can also hit some of the same areas on consecutive days, which can heighten the risk for flooding."
Heading into Monday, severe storms will be a threat over a large swath of the central United States, spanning from northwest Texas into Nebraska, and eastward into Wisconsin. Cities such as Amarillo, Texas, Dodge City, Kansas, and Minneapolis will all be at risk for intense thunderstorms.
On Tuesday, forecasters say more rounds of severe weather are expected, this time across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
While the exact location is still somewhat unclear, one or more rounds of storms may move through South Dakota and Nebraska, and eastward into Minnesota and Iowa.
Cities such as Omaha, Sioux Falls and Des Moines may be impacted by the storms Tuesday and Tuesday night.
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