Central US on alert for severe thunderstorm risk through Tuesday
The threat for severe thunderstorms packed with the potential for hail, damaging winds and flooding downpours will continue across parts of the central United States through Tuesday.
A southward-moving cold front across the region will be the main trigger for additional severe thunderstorm developmenton Tuesday.
"This is an unusually strong cold front for this time of the year, which will allow the ability for severe thunderstorms to develop ahead of it that much more likely," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Rinde said.
Monday started with rain and embedded thunderstorms from parts of Iowa and Minnesota, eastward through the Ohio Valley and upper Great Lakes. This helped to deter severe weather later in the day and night.
On Monday night, thunderstorms erupted from central and southern Missouri to Oklahoma, with a history of flooding and damaging winds.
An 87-mph wind gust was reported near Piedmont, Oklahoma, on Monday evening.
Heavy rainfall and damaging winds also swept through Oklahoma City on Monday evening. Trained weather spotters reported numerous cars being stranded in flooded roadways around the city.
While damaging winds were the primary threats with these storms, a few instances of hail occurred. Away from the main region of severe weather, a brief tornado touched down near Kentland, Indiana, during Monday afternoon.
This ongoing line of storms from Oklahoma to Missouri will continue to press southward into Tuesday morning.
"By Tuesday morning, the heaviest thunderstorms will be centered around the Oklahoma/Texas border and into parts of Arkansas, with drenching rainfall and gusty winds the main threats, Rinde said.
Upon the dissipation of that complex later Tuesday morning, the cold front will stall over the region, opening the door for additional severe weather to redevelop later Tuesday and Tuesday night.
Flooding downpours will be the primary threats with the storms across southern Oklahoma and northern Texas. However, hail and locally damaging winds can occur in the strongest storms.
Dallas-Forth Worth will be among the cities at risk for these storms on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, drier and less humid weather will build across much of the North Central states on Tuesday. The exception will be across parts of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, where a few showers and thunderstorms can develop. Some of these can contain small hail.
While a few thunderstorms can occur across the southern Plains on Wednesday, no severe weather is expected.
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