Strong storms forecast to bring rain, hail and tornadoes to the Plains and into the Midwest

Severe weather is forecast to bring rain, isolated flash flooding, hail and tornadoes to the Plains on Monday and to the Mississippi Valley on Tuesday.

Twenty-five million people are in the severe risk zone across the Plains and the mid-Atlantic for storms producing baseball-sized hail and a few tornadoes in the evening and lasting overnight.

In the mid-Atlantic, a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware until 10 p.m.

Storms are starting to develop as of Monday afternoon and may produce damaging winds that could reach 70 mph and scattered large hail as large as 2 inches in diameter. Cities in the risk zone here include Charleston, West Virginia; Baltimore; Washington D.C.; and Richmond and Norfolk in Virginia.

The storms should move off the coast or weaken by midnight. However, the severe threat in the Plains is forecast to ramp up Monday evening and overnight.

Areas from Texas to South Dakota could see storms later Monday and overnight that produce damaging gusts, large hail and a few tornadoes. Cities in this risk zone include Omaha, Nebraska; Wichita, Kansas; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma.

On Tuesday, 26 million people are at risk from Arkansas up through Iowa and Illinois with a chance for EF-2 or stronger tornadoes from Iowa City into western Illinois and northern Missouri. Large hail and damaging winds are the greatest risks.

Come Wednesday, 12 million people are at risk from Paducah, Kentucky, up through Columbus, Ohio.

Heavy rain will be associated with these storms, with a wide swath of 2 or more inches forecast from Nebraska to Wisconsin through Wednesday.

An enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms has been issued by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center from the low pressure center in South Dakota, western Nebraska and southward. A slight risk extends into the southern Plains "where storm coverage is more uncertain, but any storms that do develop will still pose the same threat," the weather service said.

There will also be threats of isolated flash flooding from the northern Plains into the Missouri Valley and parts of the central and southern Plains.

Monday’s severe weather comes after storms hit parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania on Sunday evening. Rain was reported along with golf ball-sized hail in Bristolville, Ohio, as well as coin-sized hail in Boardman, Ohio, and hail in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, by locals on social media.