Tuesday, July 16: Storms to help sweep out the heat

The heat backed off today thanks to a wave of storms that moved along I-70 this morning. The storms packed a punch, producing wind damage and heavy rainfall. A couple of tornadoes touched down west of St. Louis with widespread heavy rainfall and flooding centered around the St. Louis area.

Those storms sent a boundary south into Northern Arkansas that’s been a focus for strong thunderstorms late this afternoon. There are plenty of storm ingredients on the table for overnight storms with the focus for stormy weather from near I-44 south into Arkansas. A few severe storms remain possible with hail up to quarter size and wind gusts up to 60 mph.

Heavy rainfall will also be a concern. We saw it today in the St. Louis area and we’ve seen it this evening across North Central Arkansas, and with the atmosphere loaded down with moisture, more heavy rainfall is possible overnight. A Flood Watch remains in effect for areas east of Hwy. 65 tonight. Heavy rainfall and localized flooding are also likely across Northern Arkansas. 1 to 3″ rainfall amounts could be fairly common south of I-44 with isolated amounts over 3″ expected as well.

Rain and thunder will spill into Wednesday morning across Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri with lingering clouds across areas further north. The clouds will thin out Wednesday afternoon with additional spotty storms possible along the cold front as it pushes south into Northern Arkansas.

We’ll notice the drop in highs Wednesday, but the humid conditions will be a little slower to leave.

A mild stretch of July weather will make for ideal weather to get outdoors Thursday through Saturday. Lows and highs will run 5 to 10° below normal with comfortable humidity levels.

The pattern will take a turn for the cloudier and wetter by Sunday as a storm dives into the middle of the country. The storm will boost rain chances and keep temperatures mild.

In fact, it looks like the trough in the middle of the country will persist. This may keep rain chances around next week, but it will certainly keep temperatures milder than normal as we kick off the Ozark Empire Fair.

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