A storm system will hit a large portion of the central U.S. on Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service, the latest in a series of severe spring weather patterns that is expected to produce a series of scattered severe thunderstorms—teeing up the potential for damaging winds, hail, flash flooding and possible tornadoes.
Nearly 50 million people face at least a slight risk of severe storms.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center estimates there is an “enhanced risk” of severe thunderstorms Monday for parts of Nebraska and Kansas—which could also see strong tornadoes Monday evening—while a “slight risk” exists for parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and Virginia.
Areas under a “marginal risk” for severe weather include parts of Texas, Maryland and Washington, D.C., according to the NWS.
The development of any supercell storms could produce “very large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes,” the NWS said.
After moving through the Great Plains, the system is expected to move into the Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley areas Tuesday, which could bring “severe weather and isolated flash flooding,” according to the NWS.
Additionally, dry weather conditions and high winds have created a “critical risk” of fire in parts of Texas (Amarillo, El Paso and Lubbock) and New Mexico (Las Cruces and Roswell)—encompassing more than 2 million people—and an “elevated risk” for areas of eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
1.6 million. That’s how many people reside in areas under an “enhanced risk” of severe weather over the next two days, according to the Storm Prediction Center. More than 46 million people live in areas of “marginal” and “slight” risks.
This week’s warnings come less than a week after another major low-pressure system hit southern states, including Texas and Louisiana. The U.S. has seen a number of severe weather patterns thus far in 2024, including multiple atmospheric river storms in California and a severe mid-March weather pattern in the Midwest that spawned tornadoes across the Indiana and Ohio border, killing three and injuring more than three dozen. Severe storms earlier this month also killed at least three people and injured dozens across Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana.
At Least 3 Dead And More Than Three Dozen Injured In Major Midwest Tornadoes (Forbes)
At Least 3 Dead And Dozens Injured In Severe Storms Across U.S. (Forbes)