After numerous severe storms broke out Wednesday across the Plains, truckers across the region will have to dodge dicey weather again Thursday.
The National Weather Service received 28 tornado reports Wednesday in Texas, Kansas and Nebraska combined, as well as dozens of reports of large hail and straight-line wind damage. Softball-size hail fell in Hays, Kansas, while a wind gust of 85 mph blasted Amherst, Texas (near Lubbock).
The overall risk for severe weather stretches from Texas to the middle Mississippi Valley.
More specifically, this includes Dallas-Fort Worth, Midland-Odessa, Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene and Wichita Falls, Texas; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Topeka and Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Jefferson City, Springfield and St. Louis, Missouri; Peoria, Illinois; as well as Little Rock, Jonesboro and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Drivers won’t hit severe severe storms in every location, but large hail and strong gusts will be scattered to numerous throughout the target zone. Localized tornadoes and flash flooding will develop too.
Severe weather will be much more scarce Friday. However, as truckers try to get home for the Memorial Day weekend, they will hit showers and thunderstorms from the southern Plains to the Southeast, Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Some storms may linger Saturday and Sunday along the East and Gulf coasts.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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