Strong Storms Little Rock, Memphis Wednesday

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

October 16,2012; 6:11PM,EDT

 

 

There is the risk of strong to locally severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening from Arkansas to the lower Ohio Valley.
The greatest risks from the storms will be strong wind gusts, as well as flash and urban flooding.
The most likely time for the storms to bring damaging wind and dangerous flash flooding conditions will be from around 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Wednesday.
Cities that could be hit by the strong storms and their gusty winds and blinding downpours include Little Rock, Ark.; Memphis, Tenn.; Tupelo, Miss.; Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; and Evansville, Ind.

The storms will fire as warmer and more humid air surges into the region, while a cool front approaches from the northwest.
There is a slight chance of a few storms producing a tornado and hail, in addition to straight-line wind gusts and flash flooding.
A strong flow of air behind the front can bring damaging wind gusts even without thunderstorms.
There is the potential for nearly hurricane-force wind gusts in the clear air spanning thousands of square miles expanding from the northern Rockies to the northern and central Plains during the middle of the week.
Very blustery conditions are likely to sweep into the middle Mississippi and Ohio valleys Wednesday night and Thursday in the wake of the front.