New round of severe storms, flooding to target central US at midweek

A new storm will bring the risk of another round of severe weather and flooding to a large part of the central United States during the middle of this week.

While a major outbreak of severe weather is not likely, the potential for dangerous and damaging storms will shift from the southern High Plains toward the lower Mississippi Valley as the week progresses.

"The main threats with the storms will be large hail and flash flooding," according to AccuWeather Lead Storm Warning Meteorologist Eddie Walker.

"There will also be the possibility of a few storms that can produce high wind gusts and isolated tornadoes," Walker said.

During Wednesday afternoon and evening, the greatest risk of damaging storms will extend from part of central Texas through western and central Oklahoma and into Kansas.

Around this same time, strong to locally severe storms can also extend farther to the northeast from central Missouri and southern Iowa to southern Indiana and Kentucky.

Much of the storms in northern Kansas, northern Missouri and southeastern Nebraska during Wednesday will be followed by steady, drenching rain later Wednesday night and into Thursday.

During Thursday afternoon, the primary risk of damaging storms will push farther to the east across eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, northeastern Texas and perhaps northern Louisiana and northwestern Mississippi.

Along and just north of the extent of the severe thunderstorm threat will be the risk flooding downpours.

Motorists should be prepared to face delays and seek an alternate route if necessary as the heavy rains commence.

"Enough rain will fall to cause a new round of urban and small stream flooding," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

In addition to the risk of flash flooding during severe thunderstorms, repeating downpours can result in an elevated flash flood threat from portions of Kansas to central and southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and western Kentucky.

While this downpour setup will exist over areas that are still experiencing high water and flooding from rainfall earlier this month, the anticipated rainfall is not likely to bring river flood waters back up to record levels.

Several days of rain-free weather occurred over most of the flood threat area earlier this week, which will help to mitigate the impact of the rain for the middle to latter part of this week.

"Instead, water levels along the secondary rivers will experience a brief moderate rise or delay in the gradual recession of flooding," Pydynowski said.

The new episode of heavy rain may delay the time when water levels drop below flood stage along the middle and lower Mississippi and White rivers by a few days.

Beyond this week, the frequency and/or persistence of heavy rainfall events is likely to be much lower during the latter part of May over hard-hit flood areas of the Central states.

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