Central U.S. faces serious weather threats days after destructive storms hit Houston

CNN
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Millions of people in parts of the Central Plains are at risk of severe weather Sunday that could bring tornadoes, hail and damaging winds to the region, while the Houston area deals with the aftermath of deadly storms that knocked out the electricity to hundreds of thousands of inhabitants in a stifling climate. heat.

While stormy conditions are expected to ease across the central Gulf Coast, the threat of severe storms increases across the Central Plains on Sunday and Monday. About 24 million people are at risk of severe thunderstorms in parts of the Central Plains on Sunday.

“A surface low pressure system will bring heavy rain and thunderstorms to parts of the Great Plains and upper and middle Mississippi Valley on Sunday,” the National Weather Service said.

An increased risk, Level 3 of 5, is in place in western and central Kansas, including the cities of Dodge City, Salina, Hutchinson, Garden City and Hays. Storms Sunday afternoon and evening could potentially bring devastating wind gusts over 75 mph, large hail over 2 inches and a few tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

“Scattered severe storms are expected to affect the area Sunday afternoon and evening,” the National Weather Service in Wichita said. “The strongest storms will be capable of producing tennis ball-sized hail, wind gusts of 80 mph, and a tornado cannot be ruled out.”

Parts of Florida’s east coast also face a slight, level 2 out of 5, risk of severe thunderstorms on Sunday. Large hail will be likely, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

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Through early next week, the central United States faces a growing threat of severe weather and excessive precipitation, according to the National Weather Service.

On Monday, the risk of severe thunderstorms drops to a slight Level 2 out of 5 for the Central Plains and shifts eastward to include parts of Nebraska, Kansas, southwest Iowa and the Northwest of Missouri, encompassing the cities of Kansas City and Omaha. Hail and strong gusts of wind will be the main threats.

“Severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of Nebraska and Kansas, into western Iowa and northwest Missouri, Monday afternoon through Monday evening,” the Storm Prediction said Center. “More isolated storms, strong to severe, may extend to parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley and southern Wisconsin.”

Severe thunderstorm risks will persist Tuesday in parts of the Mississippi Valley, according to the center. Although damaging winds will be the main concern, large hail and tornadoes will also be possible.

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Meanwhile, Houston-area residents still picking up the pieces from Thursday’s storms will face a much different danger through early next week: sweltering heat. It’s a stark contrast to soggy, windy weather in Harris County that killed at least seven people, damaged skyscrapers, toppled trees, downed power lines, caused a sewage spill and made roads impassable. roads filled with debris.

The heat index, which measures how the body actually feels, could reach triple digits by next week, increasing health risks from the deadliest weather threat.

Days after the storm hit, power remained out to more than 351,000 homes and businesses in Harris County as of Saturday evening, according to poweroutage.us. With increasing heat and humidity, these residents will face heat indexes ranging from the 90s on Sunday and Monday to the 100s on Tuesday and Wednesday without air conditioning. Authorities have warned that restoring power to all customers could take weeks.

“Widespread power outages continue across the Houston metro area. Please take safety precautions when using generators,” the National Weather Service in Houston said. “Also, with high temperatures around 90° this weekend, know the symptoms of heat exhaustion/stroke. Don’t overdo it during the cleaning process.