Storm-stricken central US braces for more volatile weather ahead
Tornadoes and flooding will be among the hazards that threaten more than a dozen states as a new outbreak of severe weather looms early in the week.
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.
Severe thunderstorms will continue to batter the central United States through Tuesday, with tornadoes, damaging hail and flash flooding all posing a risk to life and property, according to AccuWeather experts.
Since Thursday, approximately 1,200 reports of severe wind gusts (58 mph or greater), hail and tornadoes have been compiled by the Storm Prediction Center from the southern Plains to the Upper Midwest and New England. Nearly five dozen tornadoes have been confirmed as of Sunday morning.
Another wave of severe thunderstorms will develop through Sunday night before the storm driving this turbulent weather pattern starts to shift eastward early this week. Travelers across the region should remain alert for hazards such as debris on roadways, downed power lines, damaging hail and flooded areas over the coming days.
Dallas to Kansas City in heart of Monday's severe weather risk zone
"Moisture from the Gulf of America will expand across the central and southern Plains on Monday, which will set the stage for severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening ahead of a developing low pressure system," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Youman said.
This storm will tap into warm, moist air and set the stage for "damaging to destructive thunderstorms," according to Youman.
AccuWeather meteorologists have highlighted a "high" risk area for severe thunderstorms encompassing southeastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, the Ozark Mountains and southwestern Missouri. While this region faces the greatest threat, including potential tornadoes, dangerous conditions posing risks to lives and property could extend far beyond, reaching as far north as South Dakota and as far south as Texas.
"Large hail, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes will all be possible, and these hazards will linger after dark," Youman said.
Parts of the Tennessee Valley and Southeast could also face a separate cluster of thunderstorms on Monday, bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds, distinct from the primary severe weather outbreak area farther to the west.
Severe weather dangers spread eastward into midweek, flood risk to increase
On Tuesday, the severe weather threat will move eastward into the lower Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley, putting regions that were impacted by powerful storms as recently as last Friday once again at risk.
"Damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes will be possible once again which can exacerbate the damage that has occurred in some areas and delay cleanup efforts in others," Youman said.
Trees weakened by saturated soil or compromised by recent strong wind gusts may face an increased risk of damage during the upcoming storms, experts warn.
"While thunderstorms will be rather progressive in nature through Tuesday, similar areas will be impacted on back-to-back days. As a result, these heavy downpours occurring on already saturated grounds can lead to flooding issues," Youman said.
The risk of flooding will include most of but also expand outside of the severe weather risk zones through Tuesday night.
"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," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Heavy thunderstorms will reach western Maryland, perhaps in a subsevere state, on Tuesday night, as crews continue to clean up in the wake of extensive flooding last week which prompted a state of emergency.
A few thunderstorms could briefly intensify to severe levels along the Southeast coast on Wednesday. Meanwhile, as the storm slows dramatically upon reaching the East Coast, the Northeast can expect several days of wet, dreary and cooler weather conditions for the second half of the week.
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