Severe storms to elevate flood risk in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

April 29,2016; 11:23PM,EDT

 

 

Following an outbreak of severe thunderstorms at midweek, more storms will ignite over the southern Plains into the weekend. The additional storms will elevate the risk of flash flooding.
The storms will impact a portion of the Interstate-35 corridor that was hit by violent weather on Tuesday.
After isolated severe thunderstorms erupted on Thursday night, the severe weather threat will broaden over the southern Plains and into part of the Mississippi Valley into Friday night.

During this time, the potential for dangerous and damaging storms will extend from central Texas and much of Oklahoma, eastward into parts of Arkansas and Louisiana.
Into Friday night, cities at risk for severe weather include Dallas and Austin, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Oklahoma City.
A tornado was reported near Ninnekah, Oklahoma on Friday afternoon. AccuWeather Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer was tracking the storm live on the ground and reported of damage after the tornado lifted.
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The storms will bring the potential for damaging wind gusts, large hail, frequent lightning strikes and isolated tornadoes.
The slow-moving nature of the storm system, combined with the repeating nature of the thunderstorms will also bring an elevated risk of flash flooding.

Localized flooding could develop in the Houston area, which tends to flood often during heavy rain events.
"The most likely time for flooding problems around the Houston area will be from before dawn Saturday into Saturday evening," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski.
The pattern will deliver a general 3-6 inches of rain on parts Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. Of that rainfall, a couple of inches could fall in as many hours on some communities.
The risk of severe thunderstorms and potential flash flooding will shift slowly eastward and expand northward as the weekend progresses.
During Saturday, the threat for severe thunderstorms will extend from Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana, northward to Little Rock, Memphis, Tennessee; and St. Louis.

By Sunday, the threat of flooding downpours and locally severe thunderstorms will extend as far north as the Ohio Valley and as far south as the Mississippi Delta region.