Few More Days of Severe Weather Targeting the Central U.S.

It was a rough start to the weekend when a series of deadly storms roared through the central U.S. After a brief lull in the activity, another outbreak of severe weather is waiting in the wings for early this week. Here is a look at the latest forecast for the nation's heartland.

Central U.S. Braces for Stormy Start to the New Week

The storm-weary central U.S. is going to be caught in the crosshairs of more severe weather to start the new work week. Forecasters are warning that severe thunderstorms packing the chance of large hail, flash flooding, and tornadoes will continue to pose dangers through the end of the day Tuesday.

The early-week weather event will be a continuation of what the region has experienced over the last few days. Going back to Thursday, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has fielded about 1,200 reports of severe winds measuring 58 mph or greater, hail, and tornadoes in a zone from the southern Plains and up into the Upper Midwest and New England. As of Sunday, there have been almost 60 tornadoes confirmed during this stretch.

A fresh batch of storms that came together late Sunday will push to the east as the week kicks off, bringing more potential hazards to the battered region. The flow of moisture coming up from the Gulf will intensify on Monday, supporting the development of more storms for the Plains states.

The swath of land from Dallas and up through Oklahoma City, Wichita, and Kansas City is forecast to be ground zero for the storm activity on Monday afternoon and evening. Meteorologists believe that the center of the action will focus on southeastern Kansas, the northeastern corner of Oklahoma, the Ozarks, and southwestern Missouri. However, storms could expand as far south as Texas and as far north as South Dakota.

Meteorologists are also cautioning that the impacts could persist after the sun goes down. Nocturnal storms are inherently more dangerous as they often catch people off guard.

A separate zone of thunderstorms is also in the cards on Monday for portions of the Tennessee Valley and into the Southeast. This area could see torrential rainfall and damaging winds at various times throughout the day.

Specific City Forecasts

The Kansas City metro area will be one of the cities impacted by Monday's storms. The greatest chance of severe weather will be during the afternoon and evening hours. Damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes are also possible. It will also be a breezy day with winds out of the south-southeast at 10 to 20 mph. Highs will hover in the mid 70s before falling to the 60-degree mark overnight.

You will find similar conditions to the south in Tulsa. The city in the northern part of Oklahoma is expecting mostly cloudy skies with thunderstorms coming together in the latter part of the day. The temperatures will reach the 80-degree barrier with readings predicted to land in the low 60s after the sun goes down. Winds will be whipping around from the south at 15 to 25 mph.

Springfield, Missouri, will wake up to partly cloudy skies and dry conditions early. However, this will all change in the afternoon when storms move into this part of the Show Me State. The forecast is also calling for a high of about 78 degrees, lows that slip into the low 60s, and winds out of the south-southeast at 10 to 20 mph. Like the rest of the region, nocturnal storms could present problems.

In the secondary pocket of severe weather, places such as Nashville are forecast to see a stormy morning commute with cloudy skies for the afternoon and evening. Another shot of storms is possible in the overnight hours. It will be a warm day in the Music City with a high of about 84 degrees and temperatures that bottom out in the low 70s overnight.

Severe Weather Will Track to the East on Tuesday

The bulk of the severe weather impacts will track to the east on Tuesday, encompassing the lower Ohio Valley and the Tennessee Valley. This is the same general area that saw the brunt of Friday's deadly storms. Once again, damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes will be on the table. For instance, Nashville will see Monday's severe weather persist into Tuesday.

This line of storms will encroach farther to the north than Monday's event, putting cities such as Evansville, Indiana, into the line of fire. This area is bracing for the threat of thunderstorms despite some peaks of sunshine. Highs will climb into the upper 70s while winds will clock in at speeds of 10 to 20 mph from the south-southwest. An errant thunderstorm could pop up during the overnight hours as lows drop into the upper 50s.

Moving to the east, Cincinnati is forecast to see rain showers in the morning evolve into scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Meteorologists are warning residents that some of the storm cells could usher in severe impacts. It will be a cooler day in this part of the region with highs topping out in the mid 60s and lows dropping into the upper 50s overnight. Winds will hit 10 to 15 mph from the east-southeast.

The recent rash of high winds and heavy rain has compromised the trees in this part of the country. This means that any incoming high winds could uproot these trees and trigger more damage as cleanup efforts continue. The repeated downpours will also raise the risk of flooding concerns.

In addition, the chance of flooding will affect areas outside of where the majority of the storms are forecast to fire up through Tuesday night. The chance of flash flooding will persist through the week as small streams and secondary rivers experience water rises.

The threat of severe storms will extend as far as western Maryland later Tuesday. This is a part of the mid-Atlantic that experienced widespread flooding last week.

Looking ahead to Wednesday, the long-range forecast indicates that the coastline of the Southeast will be under the threat of scattered thunderstorms. The weather maker is expected to slow down as it reaches the East Coast. This will result in a string of wet and dreary conditions for the back half of the week for the Northeast.

Check back later this week for more detailed information about the storms will affect the northeastern part of the country.

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