Outbreak of severe thunderstorms predicted for large areas of the US

After a deadly storm in Houston over the weekend in which eight people died, 25 million Americans are bracing for more severe weather across the country.

A National Weather Service notice said that an outbreak of severe thunderstorms was predicted on Tuesday over large swaths of the midwest and western Great Lakes, with the greatest threat expected over Iowa and certain parts of nearby states.

Furthermore, the NWS said that severe storms were expected to redevelop on Tuesday afternoon across eastern Nebraska and northern Missouri before moving rapidly north-east to the Great Lakes region.

From the Ozarks to south Texas, isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected to form from mid-afternoon into evening on Tuesday near the front and dry line, according to the NWS, which added that there was a possibility of large to very large hail up to 3in in diameter and locally severe gusts.

By Wednesday morning, the center of the system is expected to move towards southern Canada with the heavy rain threat expected to quickly decrease across the Great Lakes.

The threats are then expected to expand on Wednesday night towards the mid-Mississippi valley, where the thunderstorms tend to become slow-moving.

On Monday, the Houston fire department announced that an eighth person had died during the storm as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.