Destructive Storms Target Central U.S. Again Today
Just like Sunday, the threat for significant severe weather is so high the government`s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Moderate Risk
for several tornadoes, some of which will be long-lived and strong,
destructive wind gusts peaking at 80 mph, and hail greater than baseball
size. Cities in this zone of increased danger include Oklahoma City and
Tulsa, Okla., Wichita Falls, Texas, Springfield, Mo., and Fayetteville,
Ark.
Beyond the Moderate Risk area is a
broad area of still-powerful thunderstorms that will stretch from the
central Texas Plains all the way to the shores of the Great Lakes. Here,
wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph, hail to the size of golf balls, and
possibly even a few weak tornadoes are possible. This includes major
cities such as Dallas, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and
Detroit.
The trigger for these massive
storms is a cold front and low pressure system spinning through the
Plains. It is stuck in place, meaning it has an unending supply of Gulf
of Mexico moisture to draw northward into the Plains and Mississippi
Valley. At the same time, cooler and drier air is filtering southward
and eastward from the Rockies, setting up a boundary on which storms
have been forming.
Beyond the severe threat, heavy
rain is likely to make flooding a major concern as well today. Locally
heavy rain could total 3 inches or more, particularly across
northeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri. A Flash Flood Watch is in place here, with additional Flash Flood and Flood Watches
across eastern Minnesota. If you come across a flooded roadway, do not
attempt to cross it, as it is likely deeper than it appears. It`s best
to "Turn Around, Don`t Drown."
The severe threat won`t end
today, unfortunately. Instead it will move slightly farther east on
Tuesday as the cold front edges into the Mississippi Valley. Cities in
the danger zone Tuesday include Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Little
Rock, Ark., and Dallas.
On Sunday, nearly 500 severe weather reports
were received from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, including 28 possible
tornadoes. One person was killed in Oklahoma when the twister destroyed
an entire mobile home park in Shawnee. Three-inch hail was reported
Sunday evening in Cedar Vale, Kan., while Andover, Kan., was pummeled by
baseball-sized hail. The severe weather ramped up Saturday with 178
severe reports, including a 90 mph gust reported in Nickerson, Kan.
