The National Weather Service reports that severe thunderstorms are predicted across large swaths of the Midwest, including Riley County, throughout the coming week, with primary threats expected Wednesday evening.
AccuWeather reports that the highest chance of “violent storms” is between the hours of 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. Wednesday, with high chances of tornadoes throughout the day.
Storms are likely to occur between west-central and northeastern Kansas specifically, stretching into parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma.
“Lives and property will be at risk over part of the central United States as the risk of severe thunderstorms, flash flooding and isolated tornadoes peak during the middle of the first week of May,” AccuWeather Online said.
The National Weather Service predicts storms with larger hail stones with increased likelihood of tornadoes and threats of other damaging winds.
The high risk for storms comes after a completely tornado-less 2018 in the state of Kansas. Oklahoma has also not seen a tornado in 2018. The Wichita Eagle reports that the year without tornadoes thus far is likely a result of Tornado Alley’s chilly start to the spring.
“California has had more tornadoes this year than Kansas,” Stan Finger, Eagle reporter, wrote.
Reports of such severe weather have not surfaced in this magnitude since the Joplin tornado of May 2011, which resulted in more than 1,000 injuries and more than 150 direct deaths.
