The National Weather Service is warning that heavy rains are in the forecast for the central portion of the US and on up into the Midwest. With the ground in the Midwest saturated and rivers running high or flooding already across some states like Wisconsin and Michigan, heavy rainfall amounts will pose a real threat for serious flooding for scores of people. The NWS has flood watches and advisories posted for numerous counties in Wisconsin and lower Michigan that will remain in effect through Friday. The heaviest rain is expected to fall Wednesday night and Thursday when the current low pressure system moves across the area. Rainfall amounts of between two and four inches are very possible as are strong thunderstorms and even the chance of tornadoes.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the country, showers and thunderstorms will move through Missouri Wednesday night and into Thursday. As the air becomes more unstable over that state, severe thunderstorms are possible and very heavy rainfall is likely to occur. Portions of Texas are being forecast to see thunderstorms, hail and the possibility of a tornado outbreak late Wednesday into Thursday. The storms are being forecast to bring with them strong damaging winds and possibly large hail. In addition to Texas being threatened by this severe weather, so too are the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and other parts of the Plains.
People living in the southern portion of Minnesota must be checking their calenders to see if it really is mid-April. That state has seen more than its fair share of April snow showers and it’s not over yet. The lower portion of the state which includes the Twin Cities area can expect to see rain, light snow, a mix of the two and even thunder during the next few days. Up to five inches of rain may fall on parts of that state when the system finally moves out of the region, leaving Minnesotans once again wondering why Old Man Winter won’t leave them be.
The greatest risk of tornado activity this week is for the corridor from the south-central states into the mid to lower Mississippi Valley on up through the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes through Thursday. A tornado threat also will be developing late Wednesday night for parts of Oklahoma. It’s been a wild spring this year for much of the country as winter weather and heavy rains have been front and center for a great many states.
