Weather Alert Day: Large hail and damaging winds possible this evening
UPDATES:
THURSDAY AFTERNOON:
Isolated storms have started to develop across the Missouri-Iowa border and have quickly become intense. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 10:00 PM for counties north of I-70, where up to baseball size hail and 70-80 mph winds will be possible.
Storms are still expected to arrive between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. near Macon. Storms will weaken with time and southward extent. Our main concern is still for hail and wind north of I-70. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.
Check back periodically for updates tonight.
BLOG:
The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the potential of severe storms for areas north of I-70 this evening.
The day starts off hot and humid as high temperatures soar into the mid-90s with a heat index between 100-102. The environment will have a ton of available energy for storms to take advantage of, but the timing of a cold front will keep severe weather potential highest to the north of the I-70 corridor.
A cold front sweeping in from the north will trigger storms by early evening up near the Iowa-Missouri border. The highest potential for severe weather will be along and north of Highway 24 through around 10:00 p.m.
The Storm Prediction Center has areas between I-70 and Highway 24 in a slight risk or level 2/5 for severe storms, and points north in a level 3. Communities in the orange or level 3 zone will have higher potential of seeing up to golf ball size hail and 60-70 mph winds. Storms will likely be less severe the farther south you go, with isolated strong storms possible late in the evening as far south as Columbia and Jefferson City.
Storms likely move into the Highway 36 corridor around 6-7:00 p.m. and into the Highway 24 corridor between 8:00-9:00 p.m. Energy will start to wane as the sun goes down, and the cold front stabilizes the entire area by Friday morning.
The tornado threat with this system is low, but we could still see damage to trees and power outages with strong winds.
Make sure you have a way to receive those severe weather alerts at night. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather app is free and will send severe weather watches and warnings along with lightning detection to your current and favorite locations.
