Severe storms to hammer midwestern US with hail, damaging winds into Friday night

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist

June 3,2016; 11:35AM,EDT

 

 

Potent thunderstorms capable of producing hail and damaging winds will rumble across the midwestern United States into Friday night.
"A potent system will dive south into the Midwest and initiate some severe weather across the region on Friday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Zapolski explained.

Zapolski added that this system will move into an area that will be primed for severe thunderstorms if enough sun peeks out during the early part of the day.
During Friday afternoon, a line of storms is forecast to develop from Duluth, Minnesota, to Omaha, Nebraska.
Torrential downpours could drastically reduce visibility on the roadways and slow travel for a time. This includes on portions of interstates 35, 90 and 94.
While the fast movement of these storms will limit the potential for flash flooding, pooling of water is possible in low-lying and poor drainage areas.
Storms could impact areas such as Minneapolis and Omaha, Nebraska, during the busy afternoon commute.
As these storms push through the region, gusty winds could knock down potted plants, outdoor furniture or other loose items.
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Minor delays at local airports are possible until the storms safely pass.
Gusty storms will race eastward during the evening hours, targeting portions of Wisconsin and eastern Iowa before gradually losing intensity during the latter half of Friday night.
Any lingering showers and thunderstorms from Friday night have the potential to become reinvigorated slightly farther east Saturday afternoon.
Cities such as Chicago and St. Louis could be in the line of fire of locally heavy and gusty thunderstorms during the early half of the weekend.
A more widespread severe weather threat will set its sights on the Northeast to close out the weekend.