Weather Alert Day: Storms could bring hail, strong winds, and heavy rain late tonight
The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the threat of strong to severe storms overnight Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
TUESDAY EVENING UPDATE: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 4:00 a.m. for Pettis, Saline, Chariton, Cooper, and Howard counties as storms continue to fill in along a warm front that is stalled out across the region. These storms may produce large hail up to quarter size and 60 mph winds. The main push of storms is still expected by around 2:00 a.m. through daybreak.
SETUP:
Tuesday will be warmer than the start of the week as high pressure migrates southeast and shifts our winds to become more southerly during the day on Tuesday. Highs reach the low to mid-80s and moisture is increased across the area with this wind shift, and a warm front begins to move in from the south by evening. After sunset, low level winds will increase, pushing in more moisture and increasing the amount of available energy for storms to develop along the front late in the evening.
Timeline:
A few isolated storms will be possible around sunset, but the severe threat will increase after midnight as training storms fill in along the frontal boundary thanks to an enhanced low level jet, or the increased low level winds mentioned above. Storms will continue to hold along the front through early Wednesday morning, and with the instability and wind shear that is forecast to be present, some may be severe with damaging winds, hail, and heavy rain. The severe threat will decrease after sunrise as the cold front tries to pull in more stable air. Storms will exit the area before lunch time, leaving us with partial cloud cover and allowing temperatures to rise into the 80s once again.
Impacts:
With the amount of moisture being pulled in and storms expected to keep redeveloping over the same areas, localized flooding will be a concern overnight into Wednesday morning. Between 1-2" of rain will be possible through early Wednesday, with locally higher amounts possible. Isolated strong wind gusts up to 50-60 mph will be possible along with quarter size hail in some of the storms. The tornado threat is lower, but will be higher on Tuesday evening across northwest Missouri and eastern Kansas where the warm front intersects with low pressure.
Prepare:
With storms moving in overnight, it's important to have multiple ways to receive alerts. The newly updated ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App is available for free to get warnings sent directly to your phone or device. You can set your location and get notifications if a dangerous storm is nearby, along with looking at local radar and the latest Futuretrack. If you have a NOAA Weather Radio, make sure it has fresh batteries and is plugged in before you go to sleep on Tuesday night.
