Severe Weather Threatens Omaha, Kansas City

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

August 01,2013; 10:30AM,EDT

 

 

 

Severe thunderstorms will threaten areas from South Dakota and Nebraska to Kansas and Missouri Thursday night.
Thunderstorms rapidly developed over southern South Dakota and Nebraska, turning severe Thursday afternoon. The strongest storms produced hail up to the size of tennis balls and wind gusts higher than 60 mph.
Storms will continue to fire and roll southeastward into the overnight hours.
Areas from Valentine, Neb., to Omaha, Kansas City and Wichita, Kan., and Springfield, Mo., are at risk for thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts, large hail, flash flooding and perhaps a tornado.

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AccuWeather.com meteorologists expect the violent thunderstorms to consolidate into a complex of heavy rain and locally gusty thunderstorms later at night. Damaging wind gusts can continue.
Flash flooding is also a concern, especially where torrential rain has recently poured down.
While the complex of storms is projected to weaken during Friday, the risk of flooding and blinding downpours will continue over portions of Iowa, eastern Missouri and part of Illinois.
Another complex of storms may form later Friday into Saturday over much of the same area being hit Thursday night.

Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story.