Heightened Risk of Storms Across Plains This Week

September is typically the time of the year when severe weather tends to die down across the Plains. However, the nation's heartland is going to be under a renewed risk of thunderstorm action this week. Here is what you need to know about the threat of storms for the Plains in the days ahead.

Unsettled Weather Pattern the Story for the Plains States

The Plains states are going to be under the gun for flooding rainfall and strong winds as severe storms ignite over the region. This weather pattern is the same system that is sending the temperatures plummeting across the western U.S. to close out the weekend.

Approximately one dozen states over a 1,000-mile long swath of land will be under the threat of severe weather with the height of the activity expected for Tuesday and Wednesday. The chance of storms will get going on Monday on a limited scale. For instance, storms could roam the region near Bismarck, North Dakota on Monday. The city will remain under cloudy skies with highs topping out in the upper 70s. It will be a breezy day with winds out of the east-southeast at 10 to 20 mph while overnight lows will slip to about 62 degrees.

By Tuesday afternoon, the storm impact zone will stretch from eastern New Mexico and western Texas up into Montana and the Dakotas. Potential impacts include localized flash flooding, hail, and high winds. Places such as Scottsbluff, Nebraska are forecast to start the day on a dry note before the storms fire up in the afternoon and evening. Winds will also pick up throughout the day, hitting speeds of 10 to 20 mph. You can expect a high of about 88 degrees in Scottsbluff with lows tumbling into the upper 40s after the sun goes down.

The natural heating of the afternoon hours will work to fuel the storms. The storm cells will push to the east each day, possibly impacting travel along some parts of interstates 40, 70, 80, 90, and 94.

To the west, Great Falls, Montana is also forecast to see the chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm during the day with increasing rainfall in the evening and overnight hours, eventually amounting to about a half of an inch of accumulation. Winds will also start whipping around overnight, hitting speeds of 10 to 20 mph coming from the west. The rain will linger on Wednesday in Great Falls with 1 to 2 inches in the forecast during the day and another inch on tap overnight. Highs will fall from the low 70s on Tuesday to readings that top out in the upper 50s on Wednesday.

What Will Wednesday Bring?

Wednesday's impact area will expand farther to the east, bringing major metropolitan areas such as Omaha into the fold. The largest city in Nebraska is forecast to see thunderstorms and rain showers on Wednesday morning and again in the overnight hours. Forecasters are warning that some of these storm cells could pack gusty winds and small hail. It will remain warm despite the cloud cover with a high of about 84 degrees and lows that fall into the upper 60s. Winds will be coming from the southeast at 10 to 20 mph in this part of the region.

The atmospheric energy that will provide the breeding ground for these storms to develop will retreat to the north by Thursday. However, the chances of flooding will linger through the week thanks to each compounding round of rain. The central and northern Plains are the areas most likely to be dealing with flooding concerns.