Severe storms to disrupt travel in midwestern US through midweek

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

July 12,2016; 8:10AM,EDT

 

 

Locally severe storms will extend from parts of the central Plains and middle Mississippi Valley to part of the Great Lakes through the middle of the week.
The storms will have the potential to hit some communities hard with property damage, flash flooding and travel disruptions from the Great Lakes to the central Plains during Tuesday and Wednesday.
"The greatest concern with the storms through Wednesday will be for damaging wind gusts and large hail," according to AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Alex Avalos.
Some of the storms could down tree limbs and cause sporadic power outages and minor property damage.
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In addition, the drenching nature of the storms could lead to flash flooding in some communities. Flooding from storms forced the closure of portions of Interstate 35 north of Minneapolis on Monday night. Nearly 9 inches of rain fell in Brainerd, Minnesota.
"This is the type of situation where significant airline delays can occur as storms approach major airports, such as O'Hare in Chicago," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
Thunderstorms can produce conditions ranging from poor visibility to strong turbulence and sudden wind shear. Arriving flights may be more spaced out or even suspended during such conditions.
Downpours during some of the thunderstorms can be heavy enough cause sudden low visibility for motorists.
Into Tuesday night, thunderstorms will extend from parts of Michigan to northeastern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas.

During Tuesday afternoon and evening, the potential for severe thunderstorms will exist in Topeka, Kansas; Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri; Peoria, Illinois; and Davenport, Iowa.
A broad area of heavy to locally severe storms will extend from southwestern Ontario to central Kansas on Wednesday.

During Wednesday afternoon and evening, the greatest chance of a severe thunderstorm will include the cities of Chicago; Milwaukee; South Bend, Indiana; Kansas City, Missouri; Des Moines, Iowa; and Omaha, Nebraska.
Later Wednesday night, a few storms could remain heavy and gusty farther east, perhaps reaching the Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit area.
"In addition to the risk of damaging wind gusts, hail and flash flooding, a couple of the strongest storms could produce a brief tornado," Avalos said.
The storms will be at their peak during the late afternoon and early evening hours, when the greatest risk for a tornado will exist. However, some storms will remain locally heavy and gusty into the overnight and early morning hours.
Some people may be awakened by the sound of crashing thunder and the roar of pounding rain in the middle of the night.
While the storms will affect hundreds of square miles, some communities in need of rain may be missed by the storms.