Watches Issued: Severe Storms, Flooding Rain Target Parts of the Plains Through Monday Evening

Linda Lam
Published: July 3,2017
The risk of severe thunderstorms with the threat of damaging winds and hail, along with flooding rain, will persist in parts of the Plains the next couple days in classic early-July fashion.
(MORE: Tornado Central | Interactive Radar)
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued the following severe weather watches:

• A severe thunderstorm watch valid until 1 a.m. CDT for portions of northwest Texas and southern Oklahoma. This watch area includes Amarillo, Texas, and Lubbock, Texas.
• A severe thunderstorm watch valid until 11 p.m. CDT for parts of western and central Oklahoma, south-central Kansas and the eastern Texas panhandle. This watch area includes Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Current Radar, Watches and Warnings

Monday afternoon, a well-developed landspout was reported south of Broadview, New Mexico, near the Texas-New Mexico border. No damage was reported from this landspout.
Early Monday morning, a band of heavy rainfall stalled out over parts of far southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas. Some high-water rescues were reported, and a few major roads were closed in Paris, Texas, about 90 miles northeast of Dallas.
Sunday, hail up to golf ball size was reported in portions of Nebraska, and strong thunderstorm winds downed trees and utility poles in parts of Oklahoma. A gust of 80 mph was measured in Okesa, Oklahoma, early Sunday evening.
Additional clusters of thunderstorms are likely to fire up in parts of the Plains and Midwest through at least the first half of this week.
Wind shear will likely be limited, keeping the tornado threat low. However, a warm and moist atmosphere, with dew points in the mid- to upper 60s, will help to set the stage for strong to severe thunderstorms and increase the risk of flash flooding.
(MORE: Areas of Heavy Rain, Flooding Threaten Midwest to East Coast This Week)

Severe Weather Forecast

Through Monday Evening

• Once again, clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms are possible in parts of the Plains from Nebraska to Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle, extending into the nighttime hours.
• Another cluster of storms will push from Arkansas into parts of west Kentucky, Tennessee and northern Mississippi.
• The main severe threat will be damaging winds, but large hail and an isolated tornado may also develop.
• Cities: Oklahoma City | Lincoln, Nebraska | Joplin, Missouri | Wichita, Kansas

Thunderstorm Forecast Through Monday Evening

Heavy Rain Threat

• Locally heavy rain is likely with some of the expected thunderstorm clusters, and, in many areas, the ground is already saturated.
• This is most likely in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Rainfall Forecast

MORE: Tornado Risk By Month

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.