Severe storms with monster hail, high winds and tornadoes to rock central US into early May
As the daily dose of severe weather continues over parts of the central United States into next week, the risk to lives and property can be heightened by repeating storms.
AccuWeather Severe Weather Expert Guy Pearson warns of severe storms barreling through the central U.S. from late Sunday to Monday afternoon as they produce high winds, hail and isolated tornadoes.
Severe thunderstorms featuring extremely large hail will continue to be relentless in the coming days. Tornadoes are also another prime concern for portions of the Plains and later the Midwest, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Where storms repeat, the risk of flash flooding will also increase.
Thursday and Friday were very active days for severe weather, ranging from monster hail to high winds and tornadoes. Hailstones with a diameter of 5 inches or more fell on Motley and Floyd counties in Texas.
Hail the size of baseballs, following an EF5 rated torando that struck Joplin, MO on May 22, 2011.
Updrafts within thunderstorms capable of producing hailstones the size of baseballs and grapefruit often exceed 100 mph. Occasionally, these powerful drafts can reach the ground in the form of damaging wind gusts.
Winds gusted to hurricane force (74 mph or greater) near Ponderosa Park, Colorado, and more than a dozen tornadoes were reported, mostly in remote areas on the Plains.
Saturday storms to erupt in nearly same area as Friday
Mother Nature will continue to pick on many of the same portions of the southern Plains through Saturday night. The threat zone will expand in size a bit to the east, reaching across Oklahoma and into Texas, eastern New Mexico and western Arkansas.
While there may be only a couple of tornadoes during the first half of the weekend, many more damaging storms packing powerful winds and large hail are likely. Locations that were showered with heavy rain the day before may be more prone to flash flooding.
Storm threat to begin to shift Sunday
On Sunday, the severe weather threat will migrate northward over the Plains, setting the stage for a run of severe weather across the Midwest and into the Northeast before the middle of the week.
Storms Sunday will stretch from Kansas to the Dakotas and eastern Montana. The main threats will be large hail and powerful wind gusts.
As a large storm begins to push east of the Rockies early next week, thunderstorms will begin to erupt away from the High Plains and then move along ahead of a push of cooler and less humid air.
Severe weather threat to ramp up, push eastward Monday
On Thursday, AccuWeather meteorologists began to highlight a zone where more numerous severe thunderstorms are likely to occur Monday. This threat area was escalated to a "high risk" earlier this weekend.
On Monday, all modes of severe weather are expected along a 1,300-mile-long zone from northern Minnesota and Wisconsin to central Texas. Storms packing large hail, powerful wind gusts and a few strong tornadoes will likely focus on Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, northern Missouri, northeastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska and southwestern Wisconsin.
The risk of severe weather will carry on through much of Monday night as the storms press eastward.
"Some of the tornadoes expected to spawn later Monday can be long-lived," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Elizabeth Danco. "This will pose a serious risk, particularly with those that develop after dark when they are more difficult to detect and prepare for."
Severe weather to extend into Northeast Tuesday
By Tuesday, the forward speed of the cold front and corresponding thunderstorms will accelerate over the northern part of the nation.
Locally severe thunderstorms will extend from north-central Texas to southern Ontario, western, northern and central New York and northwestern New England. The main threats will be from strong wind gusts and hail, but a few storms may pulse enough to trigger a tornado, especially in the eastern Great Lakes region.
Severe weather threat to reset over south-central US Wednesday
A new brood of severe thunderstorms will erupt over the south-central United States by the middle of the week as a storm system develops along the tail end of the cool front.
The storm could fuel several days of severe weather across the region, lasting into Thursday and possibly Friday—the first days of May.
People spending time outdoors are encouraged to watch for changing weather conditions, monitor severe weather bulletins and seek shelter as storms approach.
Avoid sheltering under trees, open-walled pavilions and golf carts, as these can be struck and destroyed by lightning. Vehicles should be parked indoors, where possible, to avoid damage from falling trees and hailstones.
Familar flooding problems may return to middle Mississippi Valley
As the front slows and stalls over the middle of the nation to parts of the southern Plains from Tuesday and Wednesday, repeating showers and thunderstorms will again raise the risk of flooding in a zone that has been deluged multiple times during April.
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
