Severe Storm Threat for Wichita to Kansas City

Lightning on March 17, 2012, in Lebanon, Tenn., by AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Myron B.

By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist

Mar 28, 2012; 4:29 PM ET

The severe storm threat, including the risk for tornadoes, will return to the Plains tonight.
A rapid surge of warm, humid air with some cities and towns challenging record highs will set the stage for damaging thunderstorms overnight.
**Quarter-sized hail hammered Furnas County, Neb., this afternoon.**
Thunderstorms will fire across northern Oklahoma and south-central Kansas this evening.
Wichita, Kan., is among the cities that will be in the path of potentially strong or severe storms.
The strongest storms will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts greater than 60 mph, large hail and tornadoes.
Keep a weather radio on high volume to stay alert to severe storms and heed any severe storm or tornado-related warnings. Tornadoes that strike at night are more dangerous since people are often caught off-guard and it is difficult to see them.

Late in the night, the storms will progress north and eastward into eastern Kansas and western Missouri, putting Kansas City at risk.
On Thursday, potentially threatening storms will keep advancing north and eastward into eastern Nebraska, central Iowa and north-central Missouri.
Omaha and Des Moines will be in the path of nasty thunderstorms by Thursday afternoon.

Farther south, spotty severe storms may fire back across Kansas and Oklahoma during late afternoon and evening hours as moist air clashes with drier air surging in from the west. Cities such as Kansas City could be back under the gun.
The threat for flash flooding will be increasing as showers and storms continue to target areas across the southern Plains.

Severe Storm Threat for Wichita to Kansas City