Central U.S. Prepares for Possibility of Severe Storms and Tornadoes

A new month means more of the same for the central U.S. as another round of severe weather bears down on the nation's heartland. This part of the country has been the frequent target of spring storms in recent weeks. The weekend event was responsible for seven fatalities as it continued into Monday. Here is a look at what the central U.S. should prepare for next.

Weekend Storm Kills At least Seven People

The new weather threat is expected to arrive in the central Plains by the middle of the weekend, bringing more heavy rain and the threat of tornadoes. The repeated rainstorms over the next few days will raise the chance of flash flooding by the end of the week.

The upcoming event will follow on the heels of a weekend storm that pushed into the eastern U.S. by Monday. There were about 450 severe weather incidents stemming from this weather maker, including winds of nearly 100 mph, hail the size of baseballs, and multiple tornadoes on the ground. At least one tornado was confirmed in seven states during the multi-day weather event.

This week's storm is expected to be even more powerful, exceeding the damage incurred on Sunday. After impacting the central U.S. over the weekend, the storm cells moved to the East Coast on Monday. There were still about 400,000 people without power by late Monday.

The activity ignited across the Southeast on Monday morning, intensifying as the storms moved into the Atlanta area just after noon. The Peach City was hammered with heavy rain, volatile winds, and hail. Travel was severely disrupted when a ground stop was issued at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during the early afternoon hours.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a ground stop also hampered air travel at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, as thunderstorms roared through the region. By Monday night, there had been about 800 flight cancellations and 9,000 delays. The line of storms tracked up the coastline, impacting major hubs such as Boston Logan International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Torrential rainfall triggered flash flood emergencies in southern Mississippi on Sunday afternoon. Over six inches of rain drenched the area in just a few hours. An official declaration of a flash flood emergency is the highest level of warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

Meanwhile, the northern flank of the system saw ice accumulation as the mercury dropped. Northern Michigan saw up to a half of an inch of ice coating power lines and trees, prompting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency for 10 of the state's counties on Monday. A great majority of the power outages associated with this weather event were in Michigan at the hands of the ice.