Severe Thunderstorm Threats To Continue Over Central US

Meteorologists said the threats of severe thunderstorms in the central portion of the United States would continue next week.

According to AccuWeather, this weather condition will bring more rainfall in the region.

Weather forecasters said summertime heat and humidity could help fuel thunderstorms in central US, noting that storms that will come might become severe.

It is observed that few areas in central US would be spared from the bad weather, affecting outdoor plans and travels of residents.

The report warned that the public could experience gusty winds, hail, and even a tornado.

Meteorologists said the severe weather might hit across the Plains and into portions of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys through Sunday.

Furthermore, the threat of powerful storms will remain for the next couple of days.

"Some complexes of storms could be long-lasting and bring damaging wind gusts to large areas. The threat in the nation's midsection can also hit some of the same areas on consecutive days, which can heighten the risk for flooding," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.

Douty added that the severe weather would affect a large area from the central Plains into the Ohio Valley, saying that torrential rainfalls could lead to flashfloods.

Meteorologists said that the rain rates could reach two inches per hour in the heaviest storms, which are seen to overwhelm storm drains and flood low-lying places.

Mid-summer weather pattern

The National Weather Service forecasted further forecasted a mid-summer weather pattern featuring dangerous heat and the risk of severe thunderstorms and flashfloods that will adversely affect the US.

In its forecast, the NWS said, "This heavy rainfall threat when combined with wet antecedent conditions is likely to produce several areas of flash flooding, some of which could be significant."

The heaviest rain is seen to mostly transpire across the northern Mid-Atlantic on Sunday, with the threat shifting to the Interior Northeast and New England between Sunday night and Monday, according to the NWS.

Experts have already advised residents and travelers in the region between DC/Maryland and Vermont to monitor local warnings and never drive and pass through flooded roads.

A moderate threat for excessive rain and #flooding across the #Northeast and Mid-Atlantic on #Sunday from organized and slow moving areas of strong to severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. This threat includes the I-95 corridor from Washington DC to Philadelphia to New York City. pic.twitter.com/8PXbR2aLpr
— National Weather Service (@NWS) July 8, 2023

Drought before

Before this forecasted thunderstorms, the central portion of US had encountered the worst of drought, according to a report on US News.

This weather system had affected the region's crops as the water in the rivers also went low.

According to research, the drought that was experienced in central US was considered as the worst compared to what transpired in 2012.

This was also being compared to the 1988 drought that destroyed the region's crops, such as corn, wheat and soybeans.

Experts said that the frequency and intensity of droughts and rainfall in the region are increasing because of burning fossil fuels as well as other human activities that releases greenhouse gases.

Adam Hartman, who is a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center, mentioned that some parts of the central US have been experiencing extreme drought since the winter.

Hartman said that in other states, "flash droughts" have already happened over the past two to three months.