National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms, Excessive Rain and Heat Hazards

A Moderate Risk of severe thunderstorms (level 4 of 5) is in the outlook across portions of the Midwest today. Damaging winds, a few tornadoes and frequent lightning with heavy rainfall are in the forecast. Meanwhile, dangerous heat across the southern Plains into the Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic and Northeast will expand into Friday. Risk for wildfires for the central Rockies and Sacramento Valley. 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.