KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Powerful thunderstorms swept through Midwest communities Monday, bringing dangerous hail, fierce winds and torrential rainfall that turned streets into rivers and left drivers trapped in their vehicles, according to emergency officials.
Weather forecasters warn that over 64 million residents across the Midwest face continued threats from severe weather Monday afternoon and evening, with the St. Louis area facing elevated risks for sustained tornado activity and damaging hailstones, the National Weather Service reported.
“The greatest area of concern is across central Missouri into southern Illinois and into southeast Missouri,” said Evan Bentley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, in a post on X.
“We could have multiple supercells capable of all hazards, including tornadoes, large hail and wind gusts,” Bentley explained.
Emergency responders in Kansas City, Missouri, conducted 11 vehicle water rescues beginning just before 6 a.m. Monday, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan in an email statement.
Most incidents occurred “in our typical ‘high-water’ areas following heavy rains,” Nolan noted. He reported that rescue boats were not needed and no one was injured during the operations.
Weather monitoring equipment at Kansas City International Airport recorded 3.2 inches of rainfall during a six-hour span that concluded around 7 a.m., meteorologists reported.
Monday’s dangerous weather continued a pattern of destructive storms from the weekend.
In northern Texas, tornado-spawning thunderstorms claimed at least two lives and forced at least 20 families from their homes after severe damage to residential properties, officials announced Sunday.
Weather service investigation teams verified that an EF-2 tornado with maximum winds reaching 135 mph struck the Runaway Bay region Saturday. A separate EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 105 mph was documented in the Springtown vicinity, meteorologists confirmed.
“Access has been difficult due to blocked roadways and downed utilities, but crews have continued pushing forward to reach those in need,” stated Wise County Judge J.D. Clark, who serves as the county’s chief executive.
