Rounds of torrential rain and thunderstorms from the Plains to the Deep South are leading to a potentially dangerous setup that could produce life-threatening flash flooding on Thursday.
It’s an active weather pattern that the FOX Forecast Center said would remain in place across the region through the rest of the workweek and into the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Flooding rain and thunderstorms have already been pushing through communities from the central Plains to the Deep South early Thursday morning, with Flash Flood Warnings issued in parts of Kansas.
According to local storm reports received by the National Weather Service, numerous damaging wind gusts were reported in areas such as Johnson City, Kendall, and Moscow in Kansas on Wednesday afternoon and evening, and flood reports were received in Colby, Kansas, early Thursday morning.
Travel in Kansas is also being impacted as the morning commute gets underway.
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, portions of Interstate 35 have been closed due to flooding.
Transportation officials said I-35 north was closed between mile marker 18 and mile marker 22 near Wellington.
On Thursday, the FOX Forecast Center said the dangerous activity will continue to push through areas of the central Plains, Ozarks, and Deep South, which is pushing the flash flood threat zone to the south and east.
The highest flood threat on Thursday spans from parts of southeastern Kansas to areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
As a result, NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) placed the region in a Level 2 out of 4 flash flood threat throughout the day.
The FOX Forecast Center said that with abundant instability in the atmosphere, intense thunderstorms with rainfall rates of up to a staggering 3 inches per hour are possible, especially along and near a warm front that’s draped across the region.
Cities facing the highest flash flood threat on Thursday include Tulsa in Oklahoma, Little Rock in Arkansas, and Jackson in Mississippi.
Flood Watches remain posted in parts of south-central Kansas, northern Oklahoma, southwestern Missouri, and northwestern Arkansas.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) also placed parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana in a Level 1 out of 5 threat for severe weather on Thursday.
By Friday and into the Labor Day holiday weekend, a frontal boundary is expected to stretch from the Front Range in Colorado to Florida, with waves of low pressure riding along it, sparking numerous showers and thunderstorms.
And with plenty of atmospheric moisture in place, a localized flood threat will exist across much of the South.
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