Thunderstorms, hail, possible tornadoes over Midwest this week

LOS ANGELES, April 25 (UPI) -- Thunderstorms, hail and possible tornadoes will hit the Southern Plains this week, then move east, as a series of storm systems will bring wet and destructive weather across much of the country by week's end.

A series of storm systems coming from the Gulf of Mexico -- the first of which brought a few tornadoes to Kansas and Nebraska on Sunday -- will likely bring thunderstorms from San Antonio, Texas to Charleston, North Carolina by Friday.

Low pressure will move through the Southwest before hitting much of Texas and Oklahoma Friday, bringing the risk of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes late in the week.

If the low pressure stays to the west, only West Texas is likely to bear the worst of the system, with hail, high winds and tornadoes possible by Thursday.

But as the system moves east by Friday, Texas and Oklahoma could get another round of rain, thunder, hail and high winds, with the possibility of tornadoes.

By the weekend, thunderstorm activity could stretch from the Gulf Coast and mid-Mississippi Valley across the Ohio Valley and up into the Southeast.