Nearly 70 million from Texas to Michigan face severe weather threat of damaging winds and possible tornadoes

(CNN) Nearly 70 million people from Texas to Michigan are at risk of severe weather Tuesday as another powerful storm system takes aim, threatening to hit states still reeling from deadly tornadoes.

There is a potential for strong and long tornadoes across an area of ​​the central US in the afternoon, and particularly dangerous overnight tornadoes may form in parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and southern Missouri during the overnight hours.

There are two Level 4 of 5 moderate risk areas highlighted by the Storm Prediction Center on Tuesday. The first extends across eastern Iowa, northwestern Illinois, and northeastern Missouri. The second includes southern Missouri and parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Cities in moderate risk areas include Springfield, Missouri and Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo in Iowa.

A Level 3 of 5 increased risk area surrounds the moderate risk areas and includes St. Louis, Madison, Wisconsin; Des Moines, Iowa; and Little Rock, Arkansas, which was devastated by a violent tornado on Friday.

The severe weather forecast comes after weekend tornadoes left 32 dead and dozens injured in the Midwest and South, while at least 50 confirmed tornadoes struck several states, tearing apart homes as they barreled through.

“Many of the areas that were hit by the recent severe weather outlook could be at risk again, so it is imperative that everyone in this region closely monitors the latest local forecasts and is prepared to cover if warnings are issued,” Weather Forecast Center. warned.

Storms are expected to come in waves on Tuesday, with multiple rounds especially possible in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. The first round, expected in the afternoon, will bring the threat of very large hail — possibly larger than a baseball — the storm center said.

In west-central Iowa, there is the potential for strong tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds in the afternoon.

“Other storms (storms) may develop later (Tuesday) in conjunction with the cold front and move into the region, presenting a threat of hail and damaging blasts. A conditional tornado threat will also continue overnight with any sustained supercells,” the storm center added. .

And storms are expected to develop overnight across southern Missouri and parts of Arkansas, bringing the possibility of “severe overnight tornadoes,” the storm center said. Tornadoes that occur during the nighttime hours are more likely to be deadly than those that occur during the day, studies show, because people are less likely to receive weather alerts when they are asleep.

“Please stay aware of the weather, have multiple ways to receive warnings and stay tuned to the forecast for updates,” Missouri State Emergency Management officials warned.

View this interactive content on CNN.com Extremely critical wildfire threat

As several states face the threat of tornadoes and hail, about 10 million people from southeastern Arizona to southwestern Iowa are under red flag warnings Tuesday, with some local National Weather Service offices expecting “extreme fire danger in meadow” and call it a “potentially dangerous”. situation”.

“Any fire that develops is likely to spread rapidly and become very difficult to control,” the weather service said.

There is an “extremely critical,” level 3 out of 3 fire weather risk for parts of eastern New Mexico, western Texas, western Oklahoma and southern Kansas. This area includes Lubbock, Amarillo and Midland in Texas, Woodward in Oklahoma and Liberal and Hutchinson in Kansas.

“Hazardous fire weather conditions are expected Tuesday with the potential for numerous large, dangerous and fast-moving fires,” the storm center warned. “Extreme care must be taken to avoid sparks and open flames.”

Persistent severe to extreme drought conditions, single digit relative humidity, sustained winds of 35 to 40 mph, and very dry fuels all combined to create these extreme conditions.

A greater Level 2 “critical” risk encompasses the Level 3 area and stretches from the Texas-Mexico border to southern Nebraska, including Oklahoma City and Norman in Oklahoma, Wichita in Kansas and El Paso, Abilene and Wichita Falls in Texas.

CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford contributed to this report.