Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued as Threat of Severe Thunderstorms Returns to the Plains

Jon Erdman
Published: October 6,2016
Severe thunderstorms, producing hail, gusty winds and a few tornadoes, are possible in parts of the Plains states Thursday evening. Heavy rainfall may also bring flash flooding to some areas.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe thunderstorm watch valid until 10 p.m. CDT for portions of western and central Oklahoma and northwest Texas. This includes Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(MORE: Fall Has Its Share of Severe Weather, Too)

Current Radar with Watches and Warnings

A pattern change featuring a sharp, southward dip in the jet stream will pivot into the Plains, pumping increasingly warm and humid air northward into the nation's heartland.
Ahead of a frontal system, the environment will be conducive for strong to severe thunderstorms Thursday evening.
(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)
Below is our latest forecast thinking on the timing and magnitude of the severe threats Thursday evening.

Severe Weather Forecast

Thursday Evening

• Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible from parts of the Upper Midwest to the central and southern Plains as another upper-level impulse pushes into the region, catching up to a quasi-stationary front. 
• Threats: Damaging wind gusts, large hail and a few tornadoes. Locally heavy rain and flash flooding are also possible.
• Cities: Des Moines, Iowa | Kansas City, Missouri | Wichita, Kansas

Thursday Evening's Thunderstorm Forecast

(MAPS: 7-Day Rainfall/Thunderstorm/Snow U.S. Forecast)

MORE: Minnesota, Iowa Flooding Photos (Sep. 2016)