Tornadoes, heavy rain, hail possible as severe weather threatens Kansas City area
Severe thunderstorms are expected in the Kansas City area on Monday, but weather conditions could prevent the strongest storms from forming, according to the National Weather Service.
But the weather service said that if discrete supercell storms develop in the afternoon, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes are possible.
The first round of storms is expected to develop as a warm front surges in the area, the weather service said.
Cloud cover will play a key role in whether strong storms develop. If clouds remain, they could hinder the development of severe weather, according to the weather service. But if the clouds clear, more robust storms could develop.
Supercells are dangerous rotating storms that resemble tall storm clouds with anvils or elongated tops. Supercell thunderstorms can last for several hours in the right environmental conditions. When storms form as discrete cells, they do so independently, allowing them to mature and intensify without competing for space and energy with other storms.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed Kansas City and the surrounding area under an enhanced risk of severe weather, the third level on its five-point scale.
Second round of severe weather possible
Another round of storms is expected to develop in east-central Kansas between 3 and 5 p.m., the weather service said.
Some long-track storms are possible initially, but it is uncertain if they will remain discrete storms to the east of the Kansas and Missouri state line, the weather service said.
The storms are expected to congeal into lines of storms, with damaging winds of 60 to 70 mph. Large hail will also be possible.
There’s a “conditional threat for short-lived tornadoes to develop along the leading edge of line segments,” the weather service said.
There is a chance of flooding in parts of the Kansas City area. However, rainfall was lighter Sunday night than initially forecast, which means the ground in the forecast area is not overly saturated and may be capable of taking on heavier rainfall Monday night.
The weather service said swathes could see heavy rain in the southwestern two-thirds of the forecast area towards Interstate 44 in southern Missouri. Still, the exact location is hard to pinpoint.
“Expecting flooding to occur somewhere, but may not be as widespread tonight through Tuesday as it was expected with the forecast analysis done at the start of the weekend,” the weather service said. “Heavy rain over the KC metro may result in flooding, as well as rises on local streams.”
The weather service said that rain showers and thunderstorms from Monday night will continue into Tuesday morning.
“The severe threat will likely be over, though a few strong segments may still be present,” the weather service said. “If rainfall is still efficient, there may be potential for flooding.”
Between 2 and 3 inches of rainfall is expected across a widespread area, with the metro seeing between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain. The weather service said there are some pockets, mainly north and east of the metro, that could see 3 to 4 inches of rain.
Once the storms move out of the region, cooler temperatures are expected across the area.
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 7:56 AM.
