WeatherFanatics: Severe weather outbreak looms for midwestern US into Wednesday night

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

June 22,2016; 5:34PM,EDT

Following a couple of days of locally heavy, gusty thunderstorms in parts of the central and eastern United States, the risk of violent thunderstorms will increase over part of the Midwest into Wednesday night.
Numerous thunderstorms capable of threatening lives and property will target parts of Iowa, Illinois, southern Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania into Wednesday night.

More localized severe thunderstorms will also rattle places from southeastern Kentucky to north-central North Carolina into Wednesday evening.
The more far-reaching severe weather event will first evolve in eastern Iowa late Wednesday afternoon.
"[These more intense thunderstorms] will then push eastward into northern and central parts of Illinois and Indiana Wednesday evening and into the overnight hours," AccuWeather Assistant Director of Storm Warning Services Andrew Gagnon said. The severe weather will graze southern parts of Wisconsin and Michigan at this time.
The violent thunderstorms will also reach Ohio, southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and even into far western Virginia overnight Wednesday.
Through Wednesday night, cities that could be hit by severe thunderstorms include Davenport, Iowa; Chicago and Peoria, Illinois; Milwaukee; Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Huntington and Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh.
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Communities from far eastern Iowa to western Ohio are at greatest risk for the severe weather.
This round of severe weather threatens to unleash a widespread swath of damaging winds.
Winds of 70 to 80 mph could be produced, Gagnon said. Such winds may cause not only property damage but also significant tree damage and power outages. High-profile vehicles in the path of the storms would be at risk of being overturned.
The strongest thunderstorms will also spawn tornadoes. The area that will have the most significant threat for tornadoes, a few of which can be particularly large, will be eastern Iowa and northern Illinois when the severe thunderstorms first erupt.
The severe weather into Wednesday night will also bring the risk of flash flooding and large hail. Even where flooding does not occur, the downpours will threaten motorists by reducing visibility and heightening the risk of vehicles hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds.
People spending time outdoors will have to be alert for changing weather conditions and seek shelter as soon as thunder is heard, even in the absence of severe weather warnings.
After dark, the danger to lives will only increase as it will be harder to see any tornadoes, downed power lines and/or areas of standing water.

Significant travel disruptions may occur where the storms enter metro areas or approach major airports.
The violent thunderstorms will push into the mid-Atlantic on Thursday, threatening to interfere with the morning commute around Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Additional severe thunderstorms will erupt over the southern mid-Atlantic and back to southeastern Missouri on Thursday afternoon.
Content contributed by AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.