Rounds of downpours, severe storms to renew flood threat in south-central US into next week

By Kyle Elliott, AccuWeather meteorologist

Rounds of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms will target the south-central United States into next week.

A front draped across the north-central Plains and Midwest through Saturday will sag southward later in the weekend before stalling across the south-central Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley early next week.

This frontal boundary will serve as the train tracks along which complexes of thunderstorms can travel.

Multiple disturbances moving out of the Four Corners region later this weekend into the middle of next week will be the triggering mechanism for the rounds of thunderstorms.

The areas that are forecast to be hardest hit during that time stretch from northern Texas and eastern Oklahoma to much of Arkansas and southern Missouri. 

It is in these areas from near Dallas to Oklahoma City; Springfield, Missouri; and Little Rock, Arkansas, that 4 to an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches can fall.

Outside of this corridor, in cities such as St. Louis; Indianapolis and Evansville, Indiana; Louisville and Paducah, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio, 2 to 4 inches of rain will be more common.

Additional rainfall is the exact opposite of what these flood-ravaged areas need.

The growing season has already been put on hold across a large part of the mid-Mississippi Valley due to ongoing major flooding along the Mississippi River, and farmers are running out of time to plant many types of crops.

Major flooding is still ongoing on the Mississippi River from the Iowa/Illinois border to southeastern Missouri, and many gauges along the Missouri River are still in minor to moderate flood stage.

The upcoming deluge may not only threaten to completely wipe out any remaining chances people have to plant certain crops, but also trigger a new round of flash flooding issues on smaller streams and creeks.

The floodwaters from these smaller tributaries will ultimately flow into the Mississippi and, at the very least, temporarily prevent the water level from continuing to fall and delay the point at which the devastating flooding finally ends.

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Motorists traveling on portions of interstates 20, 35, 40 and 44 that lie within the threat zone should be aware of rapid changes in roadway visibility and reduce speeds in blinding downpours or if standing water is present on the roadway to reduce the risk for hydroplaning.

Flooding is not the only concern across the nation's midsection through this weekend.

"Severe weather is expected to develop daily over parts of the Plains daily through at least Sunday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

"In addition to ruining outdoor celebrations for dads and grandfathers, the strongest thunderstorms will be capable of producing damaging winds, large hail and frequent lightning," she said.

As is the case with most violent and destructive storms in June, an isolated tornado or two can briefly spin up.

"Clusters of severe thunderstorms will threaten the corridor from Iowa, Illinois and Missouri to southeastern Colorado and the Texas Panhandle Saturday afternoon and night," Pydynowski said.

"The violent thunderstorms may threaten the start of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska," she added.

Some of the same areas at risk on Saturday will be threatened once again on Sunday.

Unfortunately, any breaks in the active weather pattern look to be short-lived through the next two weeks, with more rounds of soaking rain and strong thunderstorms on the horizon by next weekend.

Download the free AccuWeather app to see how much rain is anticipated in your community and to remain abreast of the latest flood advisories. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.