A
deadly storm system
The system that battered parts of the central U.S. with intense rainfall and tornadoes is anticipated to move over the Ohio and Tennessee valleys on April 21, bringing a flurry of severe weather hazards.
“The hazards associated with these thunderstorms are frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and a minimal threat of tornadoes,”
the National Weather Service
said in a statement.
During the weekend, severe thunderstorms erupted throughout the southern and Midwestern regions of the U.S., resulting in at least three fatalities in Oklahoma, among them a young boy aged 12. These storms also caused rapid flooding which led to the closure of key roadways. At least six tornadoes were reported, with one in Marshall County, Oklahoma, destroying two houses entirely and causing damage to around twenty more.
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Flood warnings and alerts were in effect throughout the central U.S., stretching from Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky down to Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
As these storms advance towards the eastern areas, they should gradually lose strength; however, there remains a risk for potential flooding and tornadoes, particularly within the regions of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, according to meteorologists. By April 22, the storm system will shift toward the Mid-Atlantic area, carrying with it strong wind gusts, possible hail, and only a slight chance of tornado activity.
Concerns about fires in the Great Plains
Strong winds coupled with arid circumstances will lead to high to extreme fire risk across the central High Plains on April 21; Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado will likely experience the greatest impact. Red flag alerts have been activated, indicating that these perilous fire weather situations are currently happening or will very soon.
“The likelihood of any fires developing is high, and they would likely spread and become hard to manage,” the document states.
National Weather Service warned.
Bouts of thunderstorms will drench the central U.S. this week.
Intense rainfall will drench a broad area across the Plains throughout the week, posing an increased risk of floods in regions already overwhelmed with water and providing some respite to areas suffering from drought.
Along with significant precipitation, the storms are anticipated to bring “regular occurrences of lightning, strong gusts from severe thunderstorms, hail, and possibly a couple of tornadoes,” as stated by the National Weather Service.
“The series of rains will be highly beneficial for alleviating the drought conditions throughout the High Plains,” stated AccuWeather chief storm warning meteorologist Tristan Irish in an online forecast.
The article initially appeared on USA TODAY:
Violent weekend weather system poses risk of additional tornados and torrential rain leading to floods across certain areas of the U.S.
