Great Plains, Midwest at risk of severe weather

ByMAX GOLEMBO ABCNews logo
Wednesday, July 18, 2018

There are 48 large, uncontained wildfires burning across the western U.S. on Wednesday morning with more dry and windy weather expected.

Due to the wind, hot weather and dry lightning on Tuesday, numerous fires started and expanded in size in the West.

The bull's-eye of the heat wave will move south into California, Nevada and Utah where temperatures will be in the triple digits.

Red flag warnings and heat warnings have been issued for the West today as winds continue to gust over 30 mph, with humidity less than 10 percent and dry lightning still a threat.

It will remain very hot in central California and into Nevada for the next several days.

It is also heating up in the South where many Texas cities have been in the triple digits for the last several days, and now a heat wave with daily record highs will last right into next week. With the extremely hot and dry weather persisting across Texas over the next five to seven days, drought conditions will likely worsen. Dallas and Waco both had their hottest days of the year on Tuesday, hitting 104 degrees and 106 degrees respectively. Excessive Heat Watches, Warnings, and Advisories are in effect across Texas and Oklahoma.

Record highs are possible on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in cities like Dallas, San Angelo, and San Antonio with temperatures well above 100 degrees, and Dallas reaching close to 110 later this week.

Flooding and severe weather

A cold front moved though the Northeast on Tuesday, ending the hot and humid weather, but with the cold front came severe storms.

Heavy showers in some areas in the Northeast brought more than 4 inches of rain.

There was record rainfall in Baltimore, where 3.34 inches fell in just a matter of hours and produced flash flooding, and the necessity for water rescues.

Much drier and less humid weather is expected in the Northeast today.

A severe weather threat moves into the Great Plains and parts of the Midwest on Wednesday where there is an enhanced risk for severe storms.

The biggest threat today will be damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.

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