National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain in the Central Plains and Midwest; Heat Pushes into the South and East

Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of large hail in excess of two inches, strong tornadoes, and damaging wind gusts are likely across parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley and Midwest this evening. Heavy to excessive rainfall may bring a flooding threat to portions of the Central Plains to the Midwest through Thursday. The heatwave in the Central U.S. will begin to push South and East Thursday Read More >

Overview

Clusters of thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon hours. Some of the largest clusters were associated with sporadic gusty winds in the 40 to 60 mph range. By early evening, a few tornadic circulations were observed as storms intensified. A significant tornado occurred in southeast Missouri. In fact this was the strongest tornado in the month of July for our area since 1971. By late evening, storms became widespread, resulting in pockets of flash flooding which continued through the overnight hours.