Three things to know about weather for travelers Wednesday 12 July

Greatest flooding risk today is from Iowa to Michigan; also southern Arkansas.
Heat in the southern and western U.S. is unrelenting.
More significant rains coming to western New England and eastern New York Friday and Saturday.

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Starting Monday morning, 27 November, this site will be down for a major upgrade. RVWeather.com will return no later than Wednesday 29 November — sooner if possible. When the site returns, WILMA, our NEW(!) integrated weather impacts product, will be available. The Paywall will also be implemented. RV Weather will continue to provide free access to essential, RV-relevant National Weather Service Warnings and Advisories, current weather, and weather safety information. While the main site is off-line, I will post a simple forecast to my email list and to RVWeather on Facebook.

From the RV Weather Summer Office in Colter Bay Wyoming:

These are the most significant weather impacts to RV travel over the next two to three days. I do not list every area of rain, showers, or breezy winds. (It would be exhausting for both of us!). Please check out the animations and graphics for a good depiction of the weather along your route.

Pacific:

— Much of CA except immediate coast, Sierra Nevada and far-northern portion of state; western, central and southern NV: Excessive Heat Warnings and Watches through Monday July 17. High temperatures will range from around 100 deg F to near 120 deg F in the low elevation deserts.

Mountain:

— South-central and southeast WY: Strong winds this afternoon and again Thursday afternoon. Gusts 30-35 mph. I-25, I-80 impacted.

— Eastern CO; northeast: Strong to potentially severe thunderstorms possible Thursday. Isolated damaging wind gusts and hail possible. I-70, I-76 potentially impacted.

— East-central and southeast CO: Strong to potentially severe thunderstorms possible Friday. Severe threat located south of I-70.

— Western, southwest, south-central AZ; portions of southeast AZ north of I-10: Excessive Heat Warnings continue through Sunday 16 July. Afternoon temperatures 110 – 118 deg F. I-8, I-10, I-17, I-40 impacted.

— AZ Grand Canyon below 4000 feet: Excessive Heat Warning through Tuesday 18 July. Temperatures may reach 119 deg F at Phantom Ranch.

— Portions of southeast NM: Excessive Heat Warning today. Temperatures may reach 111 deg F.

— Far-west TX El Paso County: Excessive Heat Warning today. High temperatures 105-109 deg F. I-10 impacted.

Central:

— Much of central and southern IA and adjacent northern MO: Severe Thunderstorm Watch through late this morning. Widespread wind gusts to 85 mph likely. Ping pong ball sized hail and a couple of tornadoes also possible. I-29, I-35, I-80 likely impacted.

— Northern and central IA; adjacent MN; southern WI and adjacent northern IL: Very heavy, intense rains today associated with a strong to severe thunderstorm complex moving west to east. Widespread rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches likely with locally higher amounts possible. I-29, I-35, I-39, I-43, I-80, I-88, I-90, I-94 potentially impacted.

— Eastern NE; eastern KS; central and southern IA; MO; most of IL; far-western KY: Strong and severe thunderstorms possible today. Localized hurricane force wind gusts, large hail and a tornado or two are all possible. I-24, I-29, I-35, I-44, I-55, I-57, I-64, I-70, I-72, I-74, I-80, I-88 potentially impacted.

— Western NE; western and southern KS; much of OK; TX Panhandle; southern MO; central and northern AR; southern IL; KY; TN: Strong to potentially severe thunderstorms possible Thursday. Locally damaging winds and hail are the primary threats. I-22, I-24, I-27, I-30, I-40, I-44, I-55, I-57, I-64, I-65, I-69, I-70, I-74, I-80 potentially impacted.

— Southern and central KS: Slight chance of severe thunderstorms on Friday. I-35 potentially impacted.

— Southern AR; northern LA: FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS and Flood Watches through this afternoon. 2-3 inches of rain have already fallen and an additional 1-2 inches of rain can be expected. I-20, I-30, I-49, US-82 potentially impacted.

— Northeast and east-central AR; southwest TN; northwest MS: Excessive Heat Watch Thursday. Heat index values may reach 113 deg F. I-40, I-55 impacted.

— Much of KS; southwest MO; much of AR, OK and TX; central and southern LA: Excessive Heat Warnings (mostly TX and OK) and Heat Advisories through Wednesday. Heat indices 105-114 deg F and actual high temperatures 100-105 deg F.

Eastern:

— Downeast ME: Dense Fog Advisory through mid-morning. US-1 impacted.

— Central and southern MI Lower Peninsula: The thunderstorm complex over NE and IA this morning will move over lower MI this evening and tonight. 1-3 inches of intense rainfall are possible. I-69, I-75, I-94, I-96 potentially impacted.

— IN; northern and central OH; west-central and northern PA; much of NY; VT; NH; ME: Strong to marginally severe thunderstorms possible today. Damaging wind will be the primary threat.

— Eastern, central and southwest OH; western PA: Slight risk of severe thunderstorms Thursday. Winds, hail and an isolated tornado all possible. I-70, I-71, I-75, I-76, I-77, I-79, I-80, PA and OH Turnpikes potentially impacted.

— Eastern and northern NY and western New England: Additional significant rains probable Friday and Saturday. 1-3 inches accumulation likely. This rain will fall over areas impacted by severe flooding earlier this week.

— Southern FL and FL Panhandle: Heat Advisories through Thursday. Heat index values 105-110 deg F.

Click here for the extended outlook (updates every Thursday and Sunday evening).

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