Thunderstorms, Heavy Rains Hit Parts of Nation

Thunderstorms on Saturday flooded roads in New York, dropped more than an inch of rain in 30 minutes in Tennessee and again moved into West Texas, unleashing hail near Wickett and flooding some streets in Abilene, the National Weather Service said.

Showers and thunderstorms also were scattered across parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and the southern Rockies, and rain fell across the lower Mississippi, western Great Lakes, southern Ohio Valley, central Appalachians, Florida and along the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

A severe thunderstorm watch was posted for Oklahoma, where more than 6 1/2 inches of rain soaked Roosevelt overnight. Hobart, Okla., received nearly four inches of rain; Abilene, Tex., had three inches, and Wichita Falls, Tex., received more than two inches.

Storm watches were also posted for parts of New York state, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Flash Flood Watch

A flash flood watch was issued for small streams below 8,000 feet in Colorado’s Larimer County.

A downpour flooded Route 28 between Kingston and West Hurley, N.Y., while thunderstorms dumped two inches of rain in an hour near Front Royal, Va., and more than an inch in 30 minutes at Crossville, Tenn.

Storms also dropped hail at Jal, N.M., and near Thermopolis, Wyo.

The twister Friday night that leveled Saragosa, a small farming town in West Texas, was one of several triggered by a batch of thunderstorms that rumbled across the central part of the country during the past week.

“It’s that time of year--the peak tornado season,” said weather service spokesman Paul Fike. “You get that traditional cold air mass from the North with warmer air from the South.”

Elsewhere Saturday, temperatures were in the 50s and 60s over the central and Western states, with 40s in the western Great Lakes. From the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi Valley, southern Plains and Southwest, 70s and 80s prevailed, while parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi had 90-degree weather.