30 million at risk for severe weather over southern Plains into Tuesday night

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

March 8,2016; 12:00AM,EST

 

 

A storm dropping southeastward toward Mexico will trigger a severe weather outbreak across the south-central United States into Tuesday night.
The above-average temperatures and sunshine that held over the center of the country over the weekend will be replaced with turbulent weather. The humid air coming out of the Gulf of Mexico ahead of the storm will clash with drier air from the Desert Southwest.

South Central Short-Range Regional Weather Forecast

A storm system moving into the center of the country will help to ignite some severe thunderstorms from the Big Bend area of Texas to part of central and western Oklahoma to central Kansas and south-central Nebraska into Monday night.
"There will likely be numerous severe thunderstorms that develop Monday night in West Texas, east of Midland. These thunderstorms should evolve into a cluster of heavy rain that will target north-central Texas later at night," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

The strongest thunderstorms in the South Central states have the potential to produce damaging winds and large hail. This includes the communities of Russell, Kansas; Lawton, Oklahoma; and Wichita Falls and San Angelo, Texas.
Isolated tornadoes are also possible.
"Thunderstorms will rattle Oklahoma City and Wichita, but the severe threat should remain mainly west of these cities through Monday night," Pydynowski said.
"Following the potential for severe weather into Monday night, the risk of severe thunderstorms may expand into more of southern and eastern Texas on Tuesday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Becky Elliott said.
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Severe thunderstorms will erupt from eastern Oklahoma to southern and eastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas and western Louisiana with the bulk of the activity during Tuesday afternoon and night.
Cities at risk for these rounds of severe weather include Fort Smith, Arkansas; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Dallas, Houston, Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi and San Antonio, Texas.

Flooding downpours, damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes will be produced.
During the middle of the week, the severe thunderstorms will evolve into a more widespread heavy rain threat that could lead to major flooding from eastern Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley.
Into the end of the week, eastern Texas and Louisiana to Missouri could have persistent heavy rain, totaling more than half of a foot.
However, additional rounds of severe thunderstorms will slowly progress farther to the east over the South Central states through the balance of the week.