Central US to face severe storms, flooding downpours into early week

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

August 20,2017, 3:05:06PM,EDT

 

A renewed threat for severe weather and flooding will emerge over the midwestern United States into Monday night.

Thunderstorms could disrupt travelers heading to prime solar eclipse viewing locations, and may even ruin the spectacle for many in the Midwest.
Property damage, power outages and flooding will threaten some communities.
Thunderstorms will congregate near the dividing line between sticky air over the central Plains and drier air poised to press down from the Canadian Prairies.
“Anyone in southern South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and southward to Kansas and Missouri should keep weather alerts enabled on their phones and head for shelter at the first sign of threatening weather,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts said.

Any storms through Sunday night will be very spotty in nature over the central Plains.
“However, any of the storms could contain damaging winds and hail and produce torrential rainfall that can lead to flooding,” Eherts said.
Monday is setting up to be the more volatile day for severe weather over the Midwest.
There should be a lull in the coverage and intensity of the thunderstorms over the Midwest during the first part of Monday, but residents and visitors should not let their guard down.

An intense line of thunderstorms is likely to reignite over southern South Dakota and Nebraska late Monday and pick up steam as it progresses south and east toward Omaha, Nebraska, and Des Moines, Iowa. The storms could still pack a punch by the time they reach Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago suburbs early Tuesday morning.
An extensive swath of tree and power line damage and power outages can occur within this corridor with wind gusts to 70 mph possible.
“The strongest storms could even spin up a tornado, making it imperative that residents seek sturdy shelter if a storm approaches,” Eherts said.
Motorists could face near-zero visibility from the intense rainfall and spray from other vehicles along stretches of interstates 29, 35, 80 and 90.
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Areas that picked up a few inches of rain from Sunday’s storms will be most at risk for flooding with this next round.
Any non-flooding rain will have a beneficial aspect as much of the northern Plains and a part of the Midwest is in a drought.
Drier and cooler air will gain ground over the North Central states around the middle of the week, ending the threat for thunderstorms and severe weather for a few days. However, on Tuesday, the potential for severe weather will extend from the Ohio Valley to the central Appalachians and eastern Great Lakes.