The corridor from western Texas to northern Missouri and Iowa will remain in the midst of a seemingly endless risk for severe weather and flooding downpours this Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Severe thunderstorms and downpours increased late Friday and continued through the night, with numerous reports of flash flooding, water rescues and road closures from central Oklahoma through northern Missouri.
@KCMOFireDept has responded to multiple water rescue events throughout the @kcmo. Please remember turn around don’t drown. #staysafekc
@KCMOFireDept has responded to over 20 water rescues in the last 2 hours in @kcmo. No injuries so far but very dangerous situations.
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In addition to the flooding, several tornadoes were reported from southeast Kansas to central Illinois and eastern Iowa as the week came to a close.
Much to the dismay of those with festivities planned, the holiday weekend will bring no reprieve from the violent weather.
"Yet another round of severe thunderstorms will fire Saturday during the late afternoon and evening from western Texas northward into Kansas, Missouri and southern Iowa," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
Another zone of severe storms will fire up from Illinois to Pennsylvania on Saturday.
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The morning and midday hours will be the better times for outdoor activities on Saturday from Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas, to Garden City, Dodge City and Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Des Moines, Iowa; before the severe weather erupts later in the day.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert to severe weather watches and warnings. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
The worst of the severe weather on Saturday is expected to remain to the west of the hard-hit communities of Jefferson City and Golden City, Missouri. However, some rain and thunderstorms can dampen these cities at times Saturday into Saturday night, disrupting cleanup operations.
"In addition to the ongoing flood threat, the thunderstorms that fire Saturday afternoon into the evening can produce tornadoes, hail and damaging wind gusts," according to Pydynowski.
While it takes only one violent thunderstorm or tornado to cause damage, the most significant severe weather on Saturday may focus on the corridor from the Texas Panhandle to western Kansas.
There will be little time for storm cleanup in these areas as another bout of severe thunderstorms ignites from western Texas to Nebraska on Sunday afternoon and evening. Similar to Saturday, all modes of severe weather, including tornadoes, are anticipated.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Iesha McClain looks through her destroyed home Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo. late Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
This aerial image shows severe storm damage in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado hit overnight.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Carey Riley looks over damaged cars at a Toyota dealership he owns with his two brothers Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo. late Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A worker walks past tornado-damaged Toyotas at a dealership in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado tore though late Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this aerial photograph, the Missouri Capitol is seen Thursday, May 23, 2019, in Jefferson City, Mo. Material covering part of the exterior of the building as it undergoes a renovation was damaged during a strong storm overnight.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
This aerial image shows severe storm damage in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado hit overnight.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Severe storm damage is seen in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado hit overnight.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
A tornado tore apart buildings in Missouri's capital city as part of an overnight outbreak of severe weather across the state.
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Severe storm damage is seen in an aerial photo in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado hit overnight.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Tavaris McClain, left, and Tyree Thompson clear debris to free McClain's mother's car outside her destroyed home Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo. late Wednesday.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Jessica Rodgers and a neighbor, Ray Arellana, carry a stroller carrying Rodgers' sister Sophia Rodgers over downed power lines in Jefferson City, Missouri, Thursday, May 23, 2019.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A woman surveys damage Thursday, May 23, 2019 after a tornado tore though Jefferson City, Mo. late Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
(DroneBase via AP)
This aerial image shows severe storm damage in Jefferson City, Mo., Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a tornado hit overnight.
(Chris Higgins via AP)
This still image taken from video provided by Chris Higgins shows a tornado in Carl Junction, Missouri, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. The tornado caused damage in the town about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin Airport.
(Twitter photo/ Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin)
"Those winds were strong. But we are stronger!" Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said in a tweet on Thursday night.
(Twitter photo/ Missouri Gov. Mike Parson)
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson traveled to Carl Junction on Thursday, where dozens of homes were damaged from the storm. Parson met with some of the local residents in the Briarbrook subdivision to witness the destruction.
(AP Photo/David Lieb)
A car is trapped under the fallen metal roof of the Break Time gas station and convenience store in tornado-hit Jefferson City, Missouri, Thursday, May 23, 2019.
(AP Photo/David A. Lieb)
The sign for the Hidden Oaks apartment complex in Jefferson City, Missouri, stands bent Thursday, May 23, 2019, from a tornado in front of a tree that was ripped apart.
(Shayla Brooks via AP)
This still image taken from video provided by Shayla Brooks shows a tornado on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, in Carl Junction, Missouri.
(AP Photo/Stechshultsy)
This image posted on the Twitter account of Stechshultsy shows tornado-hit Jefferson City, Missouri, on Thursday, May 23, 2019. The NWS confirmed a large destructive tornado caused heavy damage.
(AP Photo/David Lieb)
A destroyed sign for a car wash is seen in tornado-hit Jefferson City, Missouri, Thursday, May 23, 2019, with a heavily damaged gas station in the background.
(Twitter photo/@MoPublicSafety)
This images shows the damaged Missouri Division of Employment Security Office in Jefferson City.
(Twitter photo/@MoPublicSafety)
Debris is scattered across Jackson and Dunklin Streets in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Thursday, May 23. Public safety officials are urging residents to allow crews room to clean up the tornado's aftermath.
(AP Photo/David A. Lieb)
Plastic chairs lie in the road and metal from a damaged gas station roof is twisted around a downed power line in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Thursday, May 23, 2019, after a large tornado ripped through the state's capital.
(Twitter photo/@MoPublicSafety)
The Missouri Department of Public Safety tweeted out images of extensive damage in Jefferson City, the state capital, including signs ripped from their posts along Ellis Boulevard near Highway 54.
(Twitter photo/@MoPublicSafety)
The Missouri Department of Public Safety tweeted images of extensive damage in Jefferson City, including downed power lines along Ellis Boulevard near Highway 54.
(Twitter photo/@MSHPTrooperF)
This image from the Missouri State Highway Patrol shows downed trees and power lines after a tornado struck Jefferson City, Missouri, Wednesday night.
(AP Photo/David Lieb)
A wall collapsed in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Thursday May 23, 2019 after a violent tornado struck the area.
(Twitter photo/@MSHPTrooperF)
This is one of several vehicles damaged on or near WB BUS 54 near Eldon, Missouri, on Wednesday evening.
(Twitter/@FirstLadyTeresa)
The tornado that tore through Missouri late Wednesday night destroyed trees and homes.
(Twitter/@FirstLadyTeresa)
The tornado that hit Missouri Wednesday night tore through Eldon, Missouri, downing power lines, snapping trees and destroying houses.
(Twitter/@FirstLadyTeresa)
The roof of this building was torn from it during the tornado that hit Missouri on Wednesday night.
(Twitter/@FirstLadyTeresa)
Residents of Eldon, Missouri clean up the damage left by the tornado that hit on Wednesday night.
Twitter/Master Sergeant Casey Utterback
The tornado that struck Jefferson City on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, tracked close to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Law Enforcement Academy.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperGHQ)
The tornado that struck Jefferson City, Missouri on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, tore off the roof of this home and caused other major structural damage.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperGHQ)
Trees and power lines were torn from the ground and downed during the tornado that hit Jefferson City on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperGHQ)
These trees were uprooted and snapped in Jefferson City, Missouri by the tornado that hit late Wednesday night on May 22, 2019.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperGHQ)
The tornado that hit Jefferson City on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, not only downed power lines, but flipped cars, as seen in the background of this photo.
Twitter/@MSHPTrooperC
The tornado that struck Jefferson City on Wednesday, May 22 launched this piece of metal into the side of a building.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperC)
Parts of Jefferson City, Missouri lie in pieces after the devastating tornado that struck on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperC)
An battered semi lies on its side after the tornado that hit Jefferson City, Missouri on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
(Twitter/@MSHPTrooperC)
A metal sheet is wrapped around a storm-battered car after the tornado that hit Jefferson City, Missouri on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
(Twitter/@MissouriOA)
The tornado that hit Jefferson City, Missouri on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, didn't spare the Employment Security Building.
(Twitter/@ChristiesPics)
The flooding occurring at Harry S Truman Dam grew worse after the storm blew through on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
Even in communities that escape damage from wind, hail or tornadoes, dangers to lives and property will still exist.
"Heavy rain and downpours from the rounds of severe weather will exacerbate the ongoing flooding which is occurring across large swaths of the Plains," Pydynowski said.
There can be an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 12 inches from north-central Oklahoma to far southeastern Nebraska and northwestern Missouri spanning Friday, May 24, through Sunday, May 26.
While the severe weather dangers will be greatest each afternoon and evening, the flood risk can last longer through the night and into the following morning.
A quick 1-2 inches of rain will easily trigger flash flooding in poor drainage and urban areas. Already swollen streams can surge back out of their banks with additional rises on larger rivers.
Residents living along waterways and in flood-prone areas should remain vigilant for additional evacuations. Officials may be forced to close more roads and bridges. Never drive through a flooded road.
Moderate to major river flooding is ongoing from northeastern Oklahoma and eastern Kansas to Missouri and Illinois. Wagoner County Emergency Management issued a voluntary evacuation notice for low-lying areas near the Arkansas and Verdigris rivers on Friday.
National Weather Service hydrologists warned of a dangerous and life-threatening situation as the Arkansas River near Ponca City, Oklahoma, soared above its previous record crest of 21.1 feet on Friday.
The river at Van Buren, Arkansas, is expected to rise at least 3 feet above the record of 38.10 feet from April 1945 this weekend.
Most of the downpours this holiday weekend will bypass Van Buren and Arkansas, but the river will keep rising as flood waters drain downstream.
Looking ahead to Memorial Day, an isolated severe thunderstorm erupting from western Texas to southwestern Kansas cannot be ruled out late in the day. Otherwise, most of the South Central states will welcome much-needed dry weather as rain and severe thunderstorms focus on the central Plains.
The severe weather risk may expand back southward on Tuesday.
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