Flooding Downpours, Gusty Winds Aim for Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys Wednesday

By Courtney Spamer, Meteorologist

July 1,2015; 10:07PM,EDT

 

 

After a wet June, July will begin with the threat for gusty thunderstorms and flooding downpours centered on the middle Mississippi Valley.
Drenching storms will extend from Kansas and Iowa to northern Georgia and the western parts of the Carolinas.
A storm system will push across the center of the country.

Storms Worsen Existing Flooding in Plains and Midwest

Thunderstorms will be potent as they move southeast, bringing heavy rain and damaging wind gusts to 60 mph. Showers and thunderstorms will repeat several times in some locations, elevating the flooding threat. The rain will fall on some areas that have already received double digit rainfall during June and in some locations that could withstand a reasonable amount of rain.

The city of St. Louis had a remarkable amount of rain during the month of June. With more than 3 inches alone in the last week of June, the city recorded 13.14 inches of rain during the month. The average rainfall amount for June is 4.28 inches, meaning the city reached this total more than three times over.
Cities from St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Paducah, Kentucky; Nashville, Huntsville, Alabama; and Atlanta will be at risk for damaging wind gusts and flash flooding.
Highways that will be impacted by heavy downpours, which could slow travel into Wednesday evening, include Interstate 29, I-40 and I-44. For the evening commute, these downpours could stretch as far south as I-20 and I-85.
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Locally gusty thunderstorms and pockets of heavy rain will linger in Missouri, southern Kentucky, Tennessee and northern parts of Arkansas Wednesday evening. The worst of the storms and flooding downpours will affect northern parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

The storm will turn more to the east on Thursday into Friday. During this time, a trail of showers, thunderstorms, locally gusty winds and isolated flash flooding will extend from Oklahoma and Kansas to eastern North Carolina and Virginia.


Meteorologists Courtney Spamer and Alex Sosnowski contributed content to this story.