Weather Alert Day: Another round of severe storms possible on Saturday

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the potential of strong to severe storms by early Saturday evening through late that night. The Storm Prediction Center has all of Mid-Missouri in a level 2/5 risk for severe storms on Saturday.

After a pleasant and quiet Friday with lower humidity, a big change will return on Saturday as low pressure approaches the by the weekend from the west. A warm front will lift north through the region through the day, potentially triggering a few showers and storms before the lunch hour on Saturday.

With the front well to our north during the day, we'll have the opportunity to heat up and become more unstable as available energy grows. Wind shear will be sufficient enough to support severe storms, but low level wind shear is looking fairly week, so while there will be a damaging wind and hail threat, the tornado threat will be lower.

We'll also be monitoring for the potential of locally heavy rain and flash flooding as the moisture content in the air will be high yet again. Dew points will reach the 70s again during the day, allowing for rainfall rates to be high in the strongest storms.

As the afternoon heats up, there may be a few isolated storms pop up, but we'll see an increased risk of scattered severe storms by early evening as storms develop along the cold front to the northwest. Storms will work northwest to southeast, likely exiting Mid-Missouri by or before midnight.

The main concerns will be 60 mph winds, quarter size hail, and locally heavy rain to prompt flash flooding. The tornado threat will be low, but non-zero.

If you have outdoor plans, make sure you have a way to receive alerts of severe weather or lightning nearby, and a plan to get indoors. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App is free and will send lightning detection alerts within 15 miles of your location.