A persistent weather pattern along the periphery of an intense heat dome over the southern United States is expected to generate multiple rounds of thunderstorms, stretching from the Plains and Midwest to the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic states. This pattern will lead to continued risks of flash flooding and severe weather through the weekend and into early next week.

These storms are being strengthened by moisture from a previous tropical rainstorm that hit Louisiana. Over the weekend, available moisture helped fuel strong storms. Early Saturday, a powerful cluster of thunderstorms brought destructive winds and flash flooding to parts of Iowa and Illinois. Thunderstorm activity spread into the Ohio Valley in the afternoon and evening, producing strong winds and heavy rain. In the Mid-Atlantic, severe thunderstorms downed trees and power lines.

Meanwhile, another area of severe weather formed on Saturday, stretching from eastern Montana to northwestern Kansas. These storms generated large hail, destructive wind gusts, and included at least one reported tornado in Palisade, Nebraska.

The storms are expected to persist through Sunday, especially along the northern and eastern edges of the heat dome. Regions from the Central Plains to the East Coast could experience severe thunderstorms, with the primary hazards being flash flooding and destructive wind gusts. Across the Plains, Sunday afternoon and evening could also bring the threat of large hail. Areas from southern Nebraska to parts of south-central Canada could experience wind gusts approaching 135 kilometers per hour, according to local storm potential indicators.

From Sunday to Monday, additional rounds of thunderstorms are expected to move through the Midwest and Ohio Valley. This includes areas such as central and southern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, where flash flooding and strong winds are possible.

Total rainfall in the affected areas—from the weekend into early this week—is expected to exceed 5 centimeters in many locations. Some locations, such as Peoria, Illinois, and Charleston, West Virginia, could receive 10 to 20 centimeters of rain. The hardest-hit areas could receive up to 33 centimeters of precipitation.

West Virginia, already experiencing one of its wettest Julys on record, is particularly vulnerable. As a frontal boundary shifts southward through Monday, repeated thunderstorms will likely develop over the central and western portions of the state. These storms could dump torrential rainfall over narrow bands of terrain, and with soil already saturated from recent rains, the combination of steep hills and persistent showers could lead to significant flooding.