Weather-beaten states expect further fury
Forecast warns of fierce wind, sizzling lightning
After two days of severe storms and tornadoes across the South and Midwest, more severe weather was in the forecast for Thursday.
“The greatest threat for severe thunderstorms will continue over the southern Plains, with a second pocket of severe weather likely over the middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys,” according to AccuWeather.
The main threats from the storms Thursday will be damaging wind gusts and frequent lightning strikes, along with the urban flood potential.
There is a small chance for tornaHeavy does, especially in Texas, the Storm Prediction Center warned.
Heavy rain could lead to flooding across the region, the National Weather Service said. “Widespread showers and thunderstorms will persist, with the best chance for significant rainfall – on the order of 1 to 3+ inches – from central and eastern Texas to southern Ohio,” the weather service said.
Tuesday and Wednesday, there were at least 30 reports of tornadoes in five states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas, the Storm Prediction Center said.
“A few of the tornadoes were strong, with debris being reported from a tornado near Wheaton, Missouri, and another that tore the roof off a house near Boone, Arkansas,” AccuWeather meteorologist Brett Rossio said.
There were no reports of fatalities from the tornadoes as of late Wednesday, but at least one person was injured in Bryan, Oklahoma, after a building suffered roof damage.
rain in Davenport, Iowa, led to a breach of a levee, flooding part of the downtown area late Tuesday with water from the Mississippi River. Water came up to the rooftops of some vehicles while car alarms wailed.
Floodwater temperatures were about 40 degrees in Davenport.
Concern about Mississippi River flooding, driven by snowmelt and heavy rain, has been high for weeks. The danger spiked again this week after easing somewhat in April.
In the Rockies, snow was reported on the final day of April and the first day of May in portions of Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana.
Up to a foot of snow fell in the Rockies in Colorado, the weather service reported.