Truckers could hit spots of powerful winds and big hail in the southern Plains the next two days.
A cold front moving out of the Rockies will move across the Great Lakes, the Great Plains and the Mississippi Valley. A strong clash of cold and warm air at the ground, instability aloft and plenty of moisture will trigger areas of storms stretching from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast.
Some storms may reach severe limits, especially Wednesday from Oklahoma to northeastern Texas. This is where storms could produce large hail at least 1 inch in diameter, as well as 60-plus mph wind gusts and isolated tornadoes.
Although rain totals may only reach 1 to 2 inches, heavy rain in short periods of time could cause flash flooding. This may happen in places where storms don’t turn severe, as well as where they do turn severe.
Major lanes of concern
• Interstate 35 from Oklahoma City to Dallas.
• Interstate 40 from Oklahoma City to Fort Smith, Arkansas.
• Interstate 44 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On the far northern end of the front, rain will change to snow later Wednesday into Thursday. Some locations in North Dakota and Minnesota along the Canada border could see more than 4 inches of snow, including International Falls. However, the main issue will be winds gusting up to 50 mph leading to blowing snow, low visibility and an elevated risk of rollovers.
Related: Big snowstorm to impact truckers in parts of Canada
Major lanes of concern
• Interstate 29 in eastern North and South Dakota.
• U.S. Highway 2 from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Duluth, Minnesota.
Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.
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