Missouri could experience severe weather several times in the next couple of days.

This graphic shows the chances for general or organized thunderstorms for Tuesday (left image), Wednesday (center image) and Thursday (right image) according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

This graphic shows the chances for general or organized thunderstorms for Tuesday (left image), Wednesday (center image) and Thursday (right image) according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The National Weather Service says storms today are expected to develop in southwest Missouri before pushing into central and northern Missouri in the afternoon and evening.

“We’re not expecting that to be severe,” says meteorologist Jenny Laflin at the Service’s Pleasant Hill office, “but as we go into the overnight hours we could see some additional development and some strengthening … and that’s where we’d look for severe potential, mainly between midnight and 8 a.m.”

Laflin says storms overnight should be widespread but only a few are likely to become severe, producing large hail. There is a lesser chance of damaging winds.

The greater chance of severe weather begins Wednesday.

“We have a warm front that’s lifting into the area and it’s just going to kind of park over central Missouri,” says Laflin. “We could see strong development across that boundary during the afternoon but our main window for severe weather is during the evening and early overnight hours, expecting large hail, damaging winds and potentially an isolated tornado or two.”

Laflin says the atmosphere Wednesday is predicted to be much like it was Thursday, when one thunderstorm in northwest Missouri produced three tornadoes that damaged several homes and outbuildings.

Meteorologist Ryan Cardell with the Weather Service’s Springfield Office says there will also be a chance of severe weather Thursday, and it will be more focused in the southern half of the state.

“That’s when the main upper-level dynamics are going to come through sweeping the main frontal boundary through the area from the west,” says Cardell. “That is probably going to be the better chance for any higher-end severe weather, like tornadoes.”

Cardell says heavy rainfall in localized areas could result in flooding as well, but severe weather is considered the primary threat.

For information for your area, tune in to your Missourinet affiliate station and visit these NWS pages.

In northwest and western Missouri:  Kansas City (Pleasant Hill)

In northeast and eastern Missouri:  St. Louis

In southwest Missouri:  Springfield

In southeast Missouri:  Paducah, KY

Scotland and Clark counties:  Davenport, IA