Severe weather threat rises for KC. Damaging winds, flooding downpours possible
Severe storm chances are rising for Kansas City this afternoon, and storms capable of 60-80 mph wind gusts could approach the metro this evening.
The Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, has placed the Kansas City metro under a slight risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe storms Monday, with a marginal risk (Level 1 of 5) east and southeast of the metro. The main threat for the metro is damaging winds, though hail and an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out.
Areas to the west of the metro, including Topeka, Lawrence and Emporia, are at an enhanced risk (Level 3 of 5) of severe weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Storms are expected to develop and organize in northern Kansas in the afternoon and race to the east and southeast in the evening, forecasters said.
Although it remains unclear how the storms will evolve, forecasters say confidence is increasing that a cluster of storms will develop. The Storm Prediction Center said a few supercells, rotating thunderstorms, could form ahead of the main line in Kansas, and the squall line could bow out with 60-80 mph winds and a brief tornado risk.
The storms are expected to gradually weaken as they move into western Missouri late Monday.
The National Weather Service has issued an areal flood watch for the Kansas City area, including Atchison, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Clay, Jackson and Platte counties in Missouri, through Tuesday morning.
There is a chance for isolated storms in the afternoon, and a complex of storms is likely Monday night. The storms will be capable of producing heavy downpours.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” the weather service said.
