Over 100 million at risk for daily severe storms, drenching rain into next week

Yahoo

a day ago

A recent spate of severe weather to begin the month of June will persist for several more days. The storms are expected to impact an area encompassing over 100 million people east of the Rockies and interrupt outdoor plans for the weekend and beyond, warn AccuWeather meteorologists.
The storminess, fueled mostly by hot summertime air, has led to hundreds of reports of wind damage, large hail and even a few tornadoes since the beginning of the month, spanning dozens of states. Many of the same areas reeling from recent severe weather will have to stay alert for additional storminess through at least Monday.
"A series of low pressure areas moving into and then out of the Midwest through early next week will be the impetus for the successive severe weather risks from the Plains to the Southeast," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill.
The most recent storm led to reports of giant hail, hurricane-force winds and a few tornadoes across the southern Plains into Friday morning. Through the end of the week, this dangerous weather will build east across the Mississippi and Tennessee River valleys.
Early weekend plans Saturday could be threatened across a large area spanning hundreds of miles from the U.S.-Mexico border to the mid-Atlantic coast. In addition to storms packing hailstones, destructive winds and always-dangerous lightning, heavy rain is a big concern, especially since storms will be repeating in many areas.
"Besides the severe weather threat, repeated downpours will move over already-saturated soil," added Merrill. "Motorists will have to watch out for ponding of water on roads, and smaller creeks and streams will be susceptible to overflowing their banks."
"Of particular concern for flooding is eastern Oklahoma into southern Kansas, including Wichita, which is already running a surplus of 2 to 5 inches of rain for early June," pointed out Merrill.
At least three separate areas of severe weather are forecast to develop by Sunday across the Midwest, southern Plains and Southeast. Major cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and St. Louis are at risk for these violent storms, which can also impact air travel nationwide because of the number of busy airport hubs in these storm-affected regions.
The Red River Valley of Texas and Oklahoma appear to be at particular risk for dangerous storms to end the weekend, with AccuWeather meteorologists discussing the possibility of issuing a rare "high risk" for severe storms at some point in the near future.
The severe threat will not end with the weekend, as the southern Plains and South are at "some' risk" for gusty storms by Monday, which will be, in some locales, the fourth consecutive day with a risk for severe weather.
While wind, hail and heavy rain represent the primary threats from the storms, there have been a few tornado touchdowns over the last few days, and AccuWeather meteorologists are concerned for a few more during this episode of severe weather.
"A couple of tornadoes can occur in the High Plains into Friday evening," warned Merrill. "On Saturday, the threat for tornadoes will shift south and east into the moderate risk area in the mid-South, between Interstates 20 and 40."
Because of the vast amount of moisture in the atmosphere, any tornado that spawns could be enveloped in heavy rain and difficult to see. These are called rain-wrapped tornadoes, and they are especially dangerous after dark.
With outdoor graduations and summer vacation plans getting underway, having a way to receive warnings both at and away from home or work will be important over the next few days. The AccuWeather App offers push notifications of severe weather alerts so you can take quick action in the event of storms.
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