Severe Storms for Wisconsin, Western Great Lakes

August 21,2013; 8:51PM,EDT

 

 

Thunderstorms will affect parts of the Upper Midwest Wednesday evening.
There is a risk for severe thunderstorms and a few can bring damaging winds, hail and downpours.
Accompanying a thunderstorm around 7p.m. EDT, a funnel cloud was reported by a trained spotter in Boyd, Wis. Two hours later, another funnel cloud was reported by a fire department in Bonduel, Wis.
With strong thunderstorm winds there will be the threat for damage to trees and property. Power outages can also occur from trees falling on power lines and lightning strikes.
Wednesday evening thunderstorm winds gusted up to 70 mph in Shawano, Wis., according to a trained spotter.
The more intense thunderstorms will also contain downpours that can drop a lot of rain in a short period of time. Where these storms track there will be the threat for flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas.
In Chippewa county, a trained spotter reported that 2.58 inches of heavy rain fell in just one hour Wednesday evening.

The threat area includes Rochester, Minn., Green Bay and Madison in Wisconsin, and Sioux Falls, S.D.
Any time roads are wet there is the risk for hydroplaning, especially when driving at highway speeds. Slowing down will lower the risk of that occurring.
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Keep in mind it is dangerous to drive through flooded roadways. It is difficult to tell how deep the water is over the road, and it can take as little as 18 to 24 inches of water to lift a vehicle and carry it downstream.
If you come across a flooded road while driving, it is recommended that you turn around and find an alternative route.

A cool front will move through tonight, and the sticky air mass will be replaced by less humid air for Thursday. Highs on Thursday will peak in the 70s and 80s.
However, the break from the heat will be brief, as hot and humid air will return late this weekend and into early next week. High temperatures on Sunday and Monday will be in the 90s for Minneapolis, Des Moines and Omaha.