NWS Warns of Several Thunderstorms in Northern, Central Plains
The US National Weather Service said the northern and central Plains was forecast to experience several severe thunderstorms with wind speed of up to 60-80 miles per hour, potentially strong tornadoes and large to very large hail through Wednesday night.Parts of North Dakota and Minnesota and the region stretching from the Ohio Valley to the Southeast may face flooding risks due to heavy to excessive rainfall through the day.The NWS early Wednesday issued a red flag warning for Wyoming's Casper, Wright, Torrington, Wheatland, Chugwater, Pine Bluffs, Cheyenne, Glenrock, Bill, Lusk, Lance Creek, Glendo, Douglas, and Newcastle, which primarily fall under the service area of PacifiCorp's Rocky Mountain Power.In Utah, a similar warning was raised for Vernal, Duchesne, Price, Delta, Richfield, Milford, Zion National Park, Escalante, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar City, Green River, Moab, Capitol Reef National Park, Monticello, Blanding, and Bluff, also served by Rocky Mountain Power.Affected areas in Colorado included Craig, Rangely, Meeker, Vail, Rifle, Aspen, Grand Junction, Nucla, Montrose, Gunnison, Telluride, Lake City, Durango, Cortez, Pagosa Springs, Alamosa, Canon City, Trinidad, San Luis, Limon, Eads, Lamar, La Junta, Flagler, Cheyenne Wells, Julesburg, Sterling, Greeley, Fort Morgan, Denver, Deer Trail, and Castle Rock. The state is primarily served by Xcel Energy (XEL) and Black Hills (BKH) unit Black Hills Energy.California's Shasta Dam, Redding, Red Bluff, Corning, Alder Springs, Oroville, Marysville, Woodland, Fairfield, Vallejo, San Francisco, Fremont, Lakeport, Auburn, and Grass Valley, primarily served by PG&E (PCG) unit Pacific Gas and Electric Company, were also covered under a warning for fire weather conditions.A similar warning was raised for Nebraska's Harrison, Chadron, Scottsbluff, Bridgeport, Alliance, Harrisburg, Kimball, and Sidney. Meanwhile, a flood warning was also issued for Alliance, Bridgeport, and Scottsbluff. Most of Nebraska is covered by the regional transmission organization Southwest Power Pool, with Midcontinent ISO also serving some areas.Also covered under a red flag warning watch were South Dakota's Pine Ridge, Edgemont, Hot Springs, and Custer, majorly served by Black Hills Energy.The NWS issued an extreme heat warning for areas near Amarillo in Texas.In Oregon, a freeze warning was raised for Chemult, Silver Lake, Bly, Chiloquin, Klamath Falls, and Lakeview, primarily served by PacifiCorp unit Pacific Power.The NWS raised a severe thunderstorm warning for Thief River Falls, Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, and Brainerd in Minnesota. The main service providers in Minnesota are Otter Tail (OTTR) unit Otter Tail Power, Allette (ALE) subsidiary Minnesota Power, Xcel Energy and Alliant Energy (LNT).The NWS issued a flood warning for Lincoln, Salina, Iola, and Coffeyville in Kansas, where Evergy (EVRG) is among the major service providers.Grove and Muskogee in Oklahoma, primarily served by OGE Energy (OGE) unit Oklahoma Gas & Electric; and Alabama's Huntsville, which falls under the service area of Southern Company unit (SO) Alabama Power, were also placed under a flood warning watch.A flood warning was also raised for Missouri's St Joseph, Butler, Jefferson City, Carrollton, Washington, St. Louis, and Nevada. Evergy, Ameren's (AEE) Missouri unit, and Algonquin Power & Utilities (AQN) subsidiary Liberty are the major service providers in Missouri.In Indiana, a flood warning was issued for areas near Logansport, while a flash flood warning was raised for Greensburg.The NWS also issued flood warnings for small pockets of Texas, Louisiana, and Washington.