Second round of strong to severe storms with heavy rains possible in Kansas City area
A second round of strong to severe storms are possible in the Kansas City area Thursday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service of Kansas City.
Uncertainty remains, however, regarding the intensity of the storms as rainfall and clouds from the storms that rolled across the Kansas City region earlier in the day stabilized the environment, the weather service said.
Storms, however, are expected to regenerate along a cold front which could lead to the potential for strong to severe weather. The main threats from the stronger storms will be straight-line wind gusts up to 60 mph and large hail. A brief isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, the weather service said.
Additional rainfall from the afternoon and evening storms might lead to flash flooding in areas south of the Kansas City metropolitan area already saturated from the morning storms. Elevated stream and river levels are expected to continue for the next several hours.
The weather service has issued a flash flood watch for Linn and Miami counties in Kansas and Bates, Cass, Henry, Johnson and Pettis counties in Missouri.
“Up to 3 inches of rain has already fallen this morning across portions of the watch area and flash flooding is ongoing,” the weather service said. “Another round of showers and thunderstorms is likely to develop this afternoon and may produce up to an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain, leading to more flash flooding across the watch area.”
The morning storms brought torrential rains to the metro area as they rolled through the area.
Photos of an ominous looking shelf cloud over the Kansas City area during the morning’s rush hour flooded social media.
