Severe Thunderstorm Watches Cover Plains to Great Lakes as Bowing Storms Produce Damaging Winds

Forecasters say organized bowing lines and training heavy rain are likely to drive widespread damaging gusts and localized flash flooding as storms move east.

Overview

The NWS Storm Prediction Center issued multiple Severe Thunderstorm Watches on June 14 that cover parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, the Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes to warn of fast-moving severe storms.
Overnight discrete supercells upscaled into large mesoscale convective systems and bowing segments that produced measured gusts over 50 knots and forward motions above 40 knots toward Tulsa and Joplin.
Primary hazards are widespread damaging straight-line winds with peak gusts commonly forecast in the 65–80 mph range, isolated hail up to about 1–1.75 inches, and a low probability of a tornado or two in line-embedded circulations.
The Weather Prediction Center highlighted locally efficient rain rates of about 1–2 inches per hour and noted flash‑flood potential where storms train over already saturated soils in parts of southern Missouri, northern/western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
Forecasters say mesoscale factors such as remnant outflow boundaries, a nocturnal low‑level jet and an upper‑level trough are driving uncertain storm timing and placement, which keeps watch updates and local warnings likely and raises the risk of urban and small‑stream flooding.