Risk of Flooding, Gusty Winds With Storms in Plains

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

August 15,2013; 8:38PM,EDT

 

 

Threatening the Plains, from Nebraska to Texas, storms will bring the potential for severe weather and flooding late in the day Thursday.
After experiencing the heat of the middle of the day, thunderstorms are most likely to fire in the afternoon across Nebraska and western Kansas.
Some of these storms will turn strong, and perhaps severe.
Damaging winds and large hail will be the main threats with the storms moving through southern Nebraska, Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle in the afternoon.

Thunderstorms in this area are also likely to produce torrential downpours that could ultimately lead to flooding issues.
Areas of concern include the cities of McCook in Nebraska, Goodland and Dodge City in Kansas and Woodward in Oklahoma. Motorists should also use caution on I-70 in western Kansas, as torrential downpours could reduce visibility.
As the afternoon transitions into the evening, storms will move southward to include the Texas Panhandle and central Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls.
Recently, rounds of rain have helped to alleviate the drought in central Kansas and Oklahoma. Because of this, additional rainfall this evening could cause flash flooding.
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Unlike central and eastern portions of Kansas and Oklahoma, which have received excessive rain for the past week, extreme drought conditions have gripped western parts of these states.
Western Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle remain as drought-stricken as they were earlier this summer.
A small amount of rain would be welcomed. However, the evening storms could instead bring a large amount of rain in a short amount of time, causing a chance of flash flooding.
A cold front pushed southward across the eastern half of the country earlier this week. Dry weather moved in behind the front, bringing lower humidity and sunshine to the Midwest and Northeast through the weekend. However, moisture has continued to linger in the Plains, helping to trigger Thursday's storms.