Severe thunderstorms, flash flooding to threaten Plains, Midwest
Rounds of severe thunderstorms will threaten the Plains, Midwest and East into Thursday with damaging wind gusts, while repeated downpours could trigger dangerous flash flooding.
Intense winds reported over a stretch of more than 600 miles from Iowa to Kentucky caused widespread damage and more than a million power outages on Aug. 11.
Rounds of thunderstorms with damaging winds will move from the central and northern portions of the Plains to parts of the Midwest, Appalachians and the Atlantic Coast this week, prompting a significant risk of flash flooding where heavy rain repeatedly tracks over the same areas.
"There can be significant damage in some communities where the storms intensify," AccuWeather Expert Meteorologist Adam Douty said. "Straight-line wind gusts produced during the most intense storms can knock over trees and cause regional power outages."
A long-lasting complex of thunderstorms met the National Weather Service criteria for a derecho by producing damaging wind incidents along a 600-mile path through the Midwest Tuesday.
A car is destroyed and homes damaged by part of an oak tree downed by severe storms on Tuesday, is seen in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Some severe risk Thursday from Colorado to Ohio
Once again, thunderstorms will become severe from far eastern Nebraska to part of the Ohio Valley Thursday, with flash flooding and damaging wind gusts as the primary threats.
Flash flood risk may be the most dangerous factor
As repeated rounds of heavy thunderstorms roll through portions of the Ohio Valley and Appalachians, the risk of flash flooding will escalate through Thursday night and could become life-threatening for some communities.
A large area where between 2 and 4 inches of rain is forecast to fall will extend from central Iowa to southwestern Pennsylvania, northeastern Tennessee and the western border of Virginia.
Within this zone, 4-8 inches of rain is forecast from north-central Indiana to much of West Virginia, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ rainfall of 15 inches.
Highly localized urban flash flooding can occur during any of this week's storms due to abundant atmospheric moisture.
However, where heavy rain persists for multiple hours or repeatedly returns to the same areas, the flash-flood risk will increase significantly in parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley.
Residents, campers and motorists near streams prone to flash flooding are urged to closely monitor the forecast and be prepared to move to higher ground if flooding develops. Water levels in small streams can rise rapidly, flooding vehicles and surrounding homes during extreme rainfall.
Major flooding is forecast along portions of the White, Big Blue and Whitewater rivers in Indiana prior to the end of the week. The flooding prompted evacuations Wednesday. Minor to moderate flooding is forecast along the Hocking River in Ohio.
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