Updated


A renewed threat for severe weather and flooding will emerge over the midwestern United States spanning late Sunday into Monday.

The thunderstorms could disrupt travelers heading to prime solar eclipse viewing locations, and may even ruin the spectacle for many in the Midwest.

Even worse, property damage, power outages and flooding will threaten some communities.

Thunderstorms will congregate near the dividing line between sticky air over the central Plains and drier air poised to press down from the Canadian Prairies.

“Anyone in eastern South Dakota, Nebraska or western Iowa should keep weather alerts enabled on their phones and head for shelter at the first sign of threatening weather,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Faith Eherts said.


Thunderstorms will hold off on blossoming until very late Sunday, likely just before or after the sun sets.

“Any storms could contain damaging winds and hail and produce torrential rainfall that can lead to flooding,” Eherts said.

Motorists could face near-zero visibility from the intense rainfall and spray from other vehicles along stretches of interstates 29, 35, 80 and 90.

“The strongest storms could even spin up a tornado, making it imperative that residents seek sturdy shelter if a storm approaches,” Eherts said.

During the early morning hours of Monday, flooding will become the biggest concern as the thunderstorms congeal into an area of steady rain.

However, the rain will have a beneficial aspect as much of the northern Plains and a part of the Midwest is in a drought.


There should be a lull in the coverage and intensity of the thunderstorms over the Midwest for part of Monday, but residents and visitors should not let their guard down as a new round of intense thunderstorms is forecast to develop later in the day.

Heavy thunderstorms are likely to reignite over Nebraska and Iowa late Monday and pick up steam as they progress south and east toward Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago into Tuesday morning.

Some of the storms could be severe on the local level, especially when and a few hours after they first ignite.

Areas that picked up a few inches of rain from Sunday’s storms will be most at risk for flooding with this next round.

Drier and cooler air will gain ground over the North Central states around the middle of the week, ending the threat for thunderstorms and severe weather for a few days. However, areas farther to the east will then need to be on alert for the potential of severe weather.