July 9,2013; 6:11PM,EDT
Millions of people will be at risk for severe thunderstorms on Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night from the Plains to Great Lakes.
A few of the major cities that could have damaging winds and large hail include Chicago, Ill., Madison, Wis., Milwaukee, Wis., Omaha, Neb., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Kansas City, Mo., Detroit, Mich., Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbus Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pa.
The timing of these storms may cause headaches for commuters as they could move through heavily populated cities, like Chicago and Detroit during rush hour. This would lead to major traffic delays as well as an increased number of accidents due to the blinding downpours that these storms produce.
To add to the traffic delays, powerful wind gusts that blow trees across roadways will force traffic to be diverted while emergency crews clear the debris.
Neighborhoods may lose power during these storms as strong winds and falling trees could knock down power lines. Additionally, falling trees may lead to damages to homes, vehicles and other property.
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Flash flooding will also be a large concern with these storms. Heavy downpours can quickly drop more than an inch of rain in less than an hour.
With this much rain falling in such a short period of time, small creeks can quickly turn into vicious flowing bodies of water. If driving during a flash flood, try to avoid driving on roadways that have water flowing across them.
Just a few inches of flowing water is enough to move your car. Water over roads may be deeper than you know. If you try to drive through flowing water, it can be life threatening.
Be mindful of flood watches or flood warnings in effect for your area. A flood watch means that a flood may occur, while a flood warning means that a flood is occurring or is imminent.
Story by AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Brian Lada.
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