WeatherFanatics: More Storms to Pack a Punch in Ohio Valley, Plains and South

Saturday, June 21, 2014

More Storms to Pack a Punch in Ohio Valley, Plains and South

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

June 21,2014; 2:31AM,EDT

As has been the case during much of this week, thunderstorms will again ramp up and turn severe locally during Friday afternoon and evening over parts of Central and Southern states.
While the storms will not be widespread Friday night, when compared to earlier this week, they will threaten some communities with dangerous and damaging conditions, cause travel delays and disrupt outdoor plans.
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Thunderstorms packing heavy rainfall and strong wind gusts will cluster over portions of the Ohio Valley later Friday. The storms will bring the potential to produce flash flooding, knock down trees and cause sporadic power outages. Part of this area has already been hit by heavy rain this week and is more susceptible to flooding from the new storms as a result.

Cities that may be affected by the storms include Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia; and Lexington, Kentucky.
Strong to locally severe thunderstorms will also erupt over portions of the Plains and part of the Upper Midwest into Friday evening. Similar to the Ohio Valley storms, areas from eastern New Mexico and western Texas to Nebraska and Iowa, as well as northern Minnesota will have to watch out for the risk of flash flooding and damaging wind gusts. A small number of the strongest storms could produce a tornado.

Cities in the Central states that may be hit by a strong thunderstorm Friday evening include Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Goodland, Kansas; and International Falls, Minnesota.
June rainfall may reach a foot in portions of Iowa and Minnesota by the end of the month. Rainfall thus far has pushed some streams out of their banks. Additional rainfall will only aggravate the flooding situation.
A few strong storms will also erupt over the South, spanning from Tennessee and North Carolina to Florida. The greatest risk from these storms will be for isolated incidents of flash flooding and gusty winds.

Pop-up storms can occur nearby to Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.
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Farther west, spotty storms in western Montana will erupt during the evening and can bring isolated hail, strong wind gusts and heavy rainfall. Portions of Montana that received snow earlier this week will be at risk for the locally severe storms Friday night.
Localized drenching storms will continue to erupt into Friday night around the Big Bend area of Texas. Del Rio, Texas, has already received more than 4 inches of rain since midnight. Portions of Kinney County, Texas, have received a foot of rain since Thursday evening, based on radar estimates.
Throughout the Central and Southern states, developing thunderstorms can bring lightning strikes with little notice. At the first sign of darkening skies and if you hear thunder, seek shelter indoors.

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