Damaging storm, flood threat returns to central US this holiday weekend

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

July 2,2017, 3:00:09PM,EDT

 

Areas of the central United States that were buffeted by severe weather this past week will face a renewed threat of violent thunderstorms through Monday.

The thunderstorms will not only hinder cleanup efforts in some communities, but will also threaten to cause new damage from high winds, flooding, hail and even isolated tornadoes.
Residents will want to keep a watchful eye to the sky and stay aware of local severe weather alerts in the midst of festivities leading up to the Fourth of July.

Pockets of severe thunderstorms will rattle the High Plains with a separate area targeting Oklahoma into Sunday evening. Communities at risk include Oklahoma City; Goodland and Dodge City, Kansas; Sidney and Lincoln, Nebraska; and Rapid City, South Dakota.
Overnight, the severity of the thunderstorms will wane overnight. However, drenching and gusty thunderstorms will still track through Oklahoma and Arkansas. Localized flash flooding and poor travel conditions will result into Monday morning.
Residents in these areas should not let their guard down at the start of the new week. Monday may be more significant in terms of severe weather and flooding when compared to Sunday.
“Conditions will be ripe on Monday in the central Plains to see severe weather develop,” AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Billy Clark said. “Hot and muggy air will be in place with ample energy aloft to ignite storms.”
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The corridor from near I-70 in Kansas and I-40 in Oklahoma could be in the line of fire of the storms. Storms are likely to first develop over western Kansas late in the day with the majority of the severe weather occurring at night.
“Initially, storms will be scattered in nature and form into supercells with the threat for large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes,” Clark said.
“As the evening progresses, there will be a transition into slow-moving complexes of severe storms with the main threats becoming damaging wind gusts and flash flooding from extremely heavy rainfall,” Clark said.
Where the soil remains saturated from previous deluges, any substantial rainfall will quickly pool on roads and fields. Sudden rises on streams and rivers can also occur.

Motorists are reminded to never ignore road closure barricades and drive through a flooded roadway. Turn around and seek a safer alternate route to avoid a life-threatening situation.
Unfortunately, for those with outdoor holiday plans, the risk for flooding and/or severe thunderstorms will not end Monday night in the central U.S. Heavy rain and thunderstorms will instead focus on the corridor from southern Missouri to Arkansas and northeastern Texas on Independence Day.