Severe Storm Risk From Oklahoma City to Minneapolis

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

July 25,2013; 8:13PM,EDT

 

 

 

There is a risk of regional damaging thunderstorms and flash flooding Thursday into Friday over the Great Plains to part of the Upper Midwest.
During Thursday into Thursday night, thunderstorms will organize into several complexes that can bring adverse impact to outdoor plans and travel from Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Omaha, Neb., and Minneapolis.
The storms will sprawl over an area more than 250,000 square miles and can affect approximately 10 million people over the Central states.
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One or two groups of storms will affect parts of Kansas to Oklahoma and northern Texas Thursday into Thursday night. These storms bring an elevated risk of flash and urban flooding, as well is isolated damaging wind gusts.
Since the middle of May, Oklahoma City has received 2 feet of rain, which is more than double the city's average rainfall.
Farther north, one or two groups of storms will push out of the Dakotas and move across Minnesota and into Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska Thursday into Thursday night. These storms bring an elevated risk of damaging wind gusts and hail but can also bring isolated flash and urban flooding.

During Friday, the threat of strong to locally severe thunderstorms and the potential for flash and urban flooding will reach from northern Texas to Michigan. Cities that could be affected Friday include Dallas and Chicago.
A very small number of the storms throughout the Plains and Upper Midwest can also produce a short-lived tornado.
People should remain alert for rapidly changing weather conditions.
Remember never to drive through flooded roads, and seek shelter indoors at the first sign of a storm's approach. If you can hear thunder, you are at risk for being struck by lightning.

The storms are preceding a push of cooler air for the weekend taking aim over the northern and central Plains to the Midwest. Seasonable temperatures are in store for the southern Plains.