Rounds of severe storms to rattle, drench central US
Severe thunderstorms will continue to prowl the central United States through the weekend with some areas at risk for damage stemming from high winds, hail, tornadoes and flooding.
Hundreds remain missing in Texas as search and rescues continue after the horrific flooding that occurred in Kerr County. AccuWeather’s Jon Porter explains the dangerous reality of flash flooding.
Thunderstorms will erupt on the eastern side of a heat dome anchored over the western United States through the weekend. Some communities will be rattled by severe weather or drenched by downpours on multiple days, Accuweather meteorologists say.
The most far-reaching impacts from the storms will be torrential downpours that can slow travel and gusty winds that can break tree limbs and lead to sporadic power outages. However, some of the storms will take severe weather to another level.
Into Thursday night, thunderstorms will congregate from the eastern part of the Dakotas, southward to the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. Some of the storms in this zone can produce significant hail and a couple of tornadoes. A complex of storms may organize and push as far east as portions of Iowa and northwestern Missouri.
Omaha, Nebraska, will be one of the largest metro areas affected by the storms into Thursday night.
On Friday, the severe weather threat will continue over portions of the High Plains of Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles.
A more concentrated zone of thunderstorms is forecast on Friday from southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois to northeastern Kansas and southeastern Nebraska with southeastern Iowa and northern Missouri smack in the middle. The full spectrum of severe weather can occur with the setup on Friday ranging from high winds and hail to flash flooding and a couple of tonradoes.
Once again, Omaha will be close to some of the most intense thunderstorms, but also the metro areas of Kansas City, Missouri, and Des Moines and Davenport, Iowa, will be affected.
On Saturday, the risk of severe weather will advance more to the east and south over the Central states.
During part of Saturday afternoon to Saturday night, thunderstorms capable of producing high winds, hail and flash flooding will extend from eastern Wisconsin and Michigan to Oklahoma and northern Texas. Those with flights to or from Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and possibly Dallas could experience delays as storms approach.
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On Sunday, the severe weather risk with flooding downpours will push into the eastern Great Lakes, Appalachians and the Tennessee Valley. However, the potential for severe weather will linger over portions of northern Texas and eastern Oklahoma.
Flash flooding, localized strong wind gusts and hail will be a concern for portions of north-central and northwestern Texas to New Mexico on Sunday. The cites of Buffalo, New York, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Little Rock, Arkansas, could be faced with severe weather for a time.
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