Central US braces for more rounds of severe weather (2025)

A potent storm followed on the heels of weekend severe weather over the central United States, which brought multiple strong tornadoes to the region through early Thursday morning. Slower movement of this storm compared to most in recent weeks could result in multiple days of severe weather and flooding in much of the same geographical area.

A storm that sliced across the central and eastern U.S. from Friday to Monday delivered about 650 severe weather incidents ranging from high wind gusts of 96 mph, hail to the size of golf balls and baseballs and several tornadoes.

This week, a new and stronger storm will focus on the central U.S. as it crawls along. The number of severe incidents with the new rounds this week is likely to exceed the severe weather centered on this past Sunday. This week's severe weather is forecast to reach a high level with widespread dangerous and damaging thunderstorms.

Severe weather returned to Plains states midweek

After a lull in severe weather over the middle of the nation on Monday, it did not take long for the atmosphere to reload. There were more than 140 reports of severe weather ranging from high winds to large hail, including over half a dozen reports of tornadoes scattered from northern Texas to Nebraska and Iowa.

All modes of severe weather occurred, with Wednesday's threat ranging from storms packing high winds and large hail to flash flooding and tornadoes. A high-risk zone with widespread severe thunderstorms was centered on the middle portion of the Mississippi Valley. On average, AccuWeather issues a high-risk of severe weather between a dozen and 20 times per year, so the event is not very common.

Over 400 reports of severe weather were recorded through Wednesday night, which included over 20 reports of tornadoes. This number will likely climb as more reports come in early Thursday morning.

Severe weather continues this week

Thursday's severe weather zone will stretch from parts of central Texas once again to Interstate 95 in the mid-Atlantic.

Numerous severe thunderstorms are forecast on Thursday from northeastern Texas to southwestern Kentucky.

Rounds of severe weather are forecast to continue over the South-Central states, centered over the lower Mississippi Valley on Friday and Saturday.

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Another high-risk for severe weather is forecast across northern Louisiana, southeastern Arkansas and a portion of western Mississippi. Storms will be capable of producing multiple strong tornadoes within this region.

Life-threatening flooding risks increase throughout the week

As the storm system continues to crawl, with its forward progress slowed by a dome of building heat in the Southeast states, the thunderstorm zone will tend to be slow-moving and repeat like a conveyor belt.

This "training effect" of thunderstorm downpours will result in tremendous amounts of rain from the Ozark mountains in Arkansas to the Ohio Valley. Some areas will receive well over a foot of rain. Life-threatening flash flooding may result initially, and flooding along some of the larger rivers may follow into the weekend. To follow along with severe weather and flooding AccuWeather has initiated live coverage.

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