Severe Weather Alert: Thunderstorms, Damaging Winds, and Large Hail Expected in the Plains
The National Weather Service has issued a warning for severe weather in the Plains starting on Monday and moving across parts of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, the South, and the Midwest. Thunderstorms, damaging winds, and large hail are expected to hit the region, with the potential for tornadoes.
Meteorologist Marc Chenard from the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Md., has identified large hail as the biggest threat from the storms. The Weather Service has warned that the storms could produce baseball-size hail and winds of 60 to 80 miles per hour. In addition, heavy rain could lead to localized areas of flash flooding.
The severe weather is expected to impact a large area from Texas to South Dakota on Monday, with a higher risk of severe weather in northern Texas, western Oklahoma, and parts of Nebraska and Kansas. One area under an enhanced risk covers a population of more than 1.5 million people, including the cities of Lincoln, Neb., Manhattan, Kan., and Grand Island, Neb.
On Tuesday, the storms are forecasted to move across the eastern part of the Plains into the central states, posing a risk from Northeast Texas into Iowa and Illinois. Multiple rounds of severe storms are expected during the day in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, with tornadoes also possible.
As the storms hit the central states, hot, dry, and windy weather will increase the risk of wildfires in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. More than 1.7 million people are in an area deemed at “critical” risk of wildfire on Monday, including residents in El Paso and Las Cruces, N.M.
Stay tuned for updates and take necessary precautions to stay safe during this severe weather event.
