50 million people threatened with bad weather

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The storms that extend from Texas to southern Minnesota are expected to spread Sunday in the Great Lakes region and the Ohio Valley, the center of the Atlantic coastline and the central Appalachians North.

Although the risk of heavy storms seems to be low, it spreads over a large population.

Those in the Chicago area are preparing for scattered, fast-moving thunderstorms that can generate high winds and hail, according to the National Weather Service.

The showers started in Milwaukee on Saturday night, the NWS says, but the biggest downpour is expected Sunday.

And if these storms look like Saturday, they could cause destruction.

tornadoes

At least 34 tornadoes have been reported since Friday morning, including Kansas, Nebraska and Texas. On Saturday, 10 tornadoes were reported, as well as 148 wind reports and 33 hail reports.

In Comanche County, Oklahoma, a tornado destroyed two houses on Saturday morning, said Ashleigh Hensch, spokesperson for emergency management. Another in Abilene, Texas, caused "considerable damage," reported KTXS, a subsidiary of CNN.
A tornado toppled a semi-truck on a highway in Mineola, Kansas, with an inside driver, according to CNN's affiliate, WJTV.

This is the peak of the tornado season, said CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam, "with an average of 268 tornadoes nationwide during the month of May".

Flood

The threat of flooding will be strong throughout the week, with rainfall ranging from one to five inches, according to Van Dam.

"Heavy rains will have an impact on areas that have received a significant amount of rain in recent weeks," said Van Dam. "The soil remains very saturated and can raise the threat of flooding."

Missouri is expected to receive heavy rainfall on recently saturated soils and may have increased flood potential, according to the NWS.

The Mississippi River is above flood level for 133 consecutive days in Natchez, 90 days and Vicksburg and 89 in Greenville, said the NWS, breaking the longest flood record of recent years.

In early May, Mississippi broke its record on July 9, 1993, after heavy rains caused flooding from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, reported WQAD, a CNN affiliate. The 1993 Flood Gauge at Rock Island, Illinois peaked at 22.63 feet. Its level this month has reached 22.64 feet, said the WQAD.

The biggest threat coming later this week

Monday will see the greatest risk of severe weather, said Van Dam, while a cold front is moving from the west to the plains.

An increased risk of extreme weather (level three out of five) spreads in southern Kansas, Oklahoma and central Texas.

But the Panhandle of Texas and central Oklahoma will see a moderate risk of four out of five.

"In fact, Tornado Alley will be alive again early next week, in fact, the fact that the SPC has a moderate risk so far in advance of a possible bad weather outbreak actually indicates its level of confidence in an important event. "said Van Dam," he said.

Derek Van Dam and Theresa Waldrop of CNN contributed to this report.

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