Weather Forecast: National Weather Service Says Severe Thunderstorms are Possible Across the Central US

Severe thunderstorms will batter the Central US again, bringing the risk of damaging winds and large hail across the region.

This is based on the latest US weather forecast by the National Weather Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The looming storms do not end with the mentioned weather hazards, as the formation of tornadoes poses the greatest risk from this weather disturbance.

Over recent months, spring storms have ravaged the multiple states in the region and its adjacent areas.

With the current spring season coming shifting by month's end, various weather forecasts have been issued across the country, including late-season winter weather in the Midwest and Northeast and a storm system over the Pacific Northwest.

US Weather Forecast

Based on its weather advisory on Wednesday, May 19, the NOAA - NWS the states of Kentucky, Minnesota, Colorado, and Oklahoma are at risk of receiving the impact of the severe weather.

In particular, these storms may generate heavy rain and flooding in Kentucky.

Moreover, the southeastern portion of Colorado and the northeastern portion of Minnesota are the hotspot areas.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, the adverse weather will affect the state's 'Oklahoma Panhandle' region, which consists of the extreme northeastern areas such as Beaver County, Cimarron County, and Texas County.

In another US weather advisory, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) of the NWS indicates a strong cold will pass through the Northwest US.

This cold air may produce rain, mountain snow, and high winds.

Meanwhile, the Southern US will remain with dry weather with heat and high temperatures persisting throughout the duration of the forecast period.

Furthermore, the previously forecasted thunderstorms in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, including by The Weather Channel, are caused by a storm system or a deep low-pressure system in southwestern Canada, the NWS explains.

AccuWeather meteorologists have also issued a related forecast this week.

The recent NWS weather forecast will be valid from Thursday to Saturday, May 19 to May 21.

What is a Thunderstorm?

According to the NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), a thunderstorm or storm is a rain shower accompanied by the sound of thunder; adding that all thunderstorms have lightning since thunder comes from lightning, described as a bright flash of light from the clouds toward the ground.

Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm is an elevated degree classified to contain one or more of the following:

• At least an inch of hail
• Wind gust exceeding 50 knots (57.5 miles per hour)
• Tornado

Twisters pose the most threat since they can occur with little or no warning and affect both rural and densely populated urban areas. Regardless of their intensity under the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, this swirling vortex of air can cause widespread damage to infrastructure and result in casualties.

In late April, a tornado was responsible for killing three meteorology students from the University of Oklahoma after a tractor-trailer struck their vehicle after a storm chasing a powerful tornado in Kansas.