Springfield, MO. (KOLR) – The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for southern Missouri and northern Arkansas as another round of potentially dangerous thunderstorms is expected to develop this evening and continue into the overnight hours.
The watch comes just hours after a morning round of storms left thousands without power and dumped several inches of rain, especially for people along and north of Interstate 44.
Since then, the atmosphere has had time to reload, with warm and humid conditions developing this afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front. Those ingredients will set the stage for another round of strong to severe thunderstorms.
The main threats tonight will be damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph and hail ranging from quarter-size to as large as half dollars. A few brief spin-up tornadoes also cannot be ruled out.
Flooding will remain an additional concern. This June has been one of the wettest in decades, leaving rivers, lakes, and creeks running high. Any additional rainfall produced by severe thunderstorms will only increase the flood risk…