After a quiet first two days in April, the threat for severe weather will return to the south-central United States at midweek.
Cool weather will usher April in on Monday, but temperatures are expected to rebound across the South Central states by midweek.
Highs in the 50s and 60s on Monday will be replaced by temperatures soaring into the 70s on Wednesday. Highs in the 80s are even anticipated in western Texas at midweek.
That warmth combined with a new storm emerging from the Westwill spark the next round of severe weather across the nation's midsection.
"The setup will become very conducive for severe thunderstorms in western Oklahoma and into north-central Texas on Wednesday afternoon," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.
Residents in neighboring parts of western Kansas will also have to remain alert of the danger.
The thunderstorms may then barrel to the Interstate-35 corridor, including Oklahoma City, on Wednesday evening.
"This is often a classic setup for supercell thunderstorms, which can produce damaging straight-line winds, very large hail and tornadoes," Sojda said.
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Residents in the region and motorists planning to travel westward along Interstate 40 from Oklahoma City later Wednesday should monitor radios and enable cellphone alerts to know when to seek shelter.
Download the free AccuWeather app to receive vital severe weather notifications.
On Wednesday night, Sojda is concerned for moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to keep feeding into the thunderstorms, causing them to remain drenching and gusty as they track across the Red River Valley.
"To the north, a soaking rain will move across eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas," he said.
"Those from southeastern Kansas to northeastern Texas will have to be alert Wednesday night for the potential for flooding from areas of persistent heavy rain."
As the storm shifts eastward, the threat for severe weather may target the lower Mississippi Valley.
"There is uncertainty with the exact extent for severe weather on Thursday as cloud cover and ongoing rain and thunderstorms from Wednesday night moving into the region may limit just how much fuel is available for thunderstorms to turn severe," according to Sojda.
Too much cloud cover and rain can prevent severe weather development.
On the other hand, if sunshine wins out, violent thunderstorms can erupt and threaten the area from Memphis, Tennessee, and Little Rock, Arkansas, to Jackson, Mississippi, and Shreveport and New Orleans, Louisiana.
"Flash flooding, damaging winds and even a few tornadoes will be a threat," Sojda stated.
Runoff from the heaviest rain may eventually feed into the larger rivers that are already out of their banks across the lower Mississippi River Valley and cause additional rises or slow the receding river levels.
While drier air will briefly filter in behind the severe weather later this week, a new storm may return downpours and thunderstorms to the South Central states during the upcoming weekend.
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