Severe Thunderstorms Return to the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes This Week

Brian Donegan
Published: July 5,2016
The threat of severe thunderstorms, with damaging wind gusts, large hail and a few tornadoes, returns to the Plains and Midwest starting Tuesday.
A warm front will slide through these regions Tuesday, causing a warm, humid airmass to set up, eventually setting the stage for scattered severe thunderstorms to develop by the afternoon in the Midwest.
An area of low pressure and its associated cold front will then approach the area Wednesday, acting as another triggering mechanism for multiple rounds of thunderstorms to pop up during the afternoon across the Plains. More severe weather is possible ahead of that low as it pushes east Thursday into Friday.

Current Radar with Watches and Warnings

(MORE: View National Interactive Radar Map | Difference Between a Watch and a Warning)
Below is our latest forecast thinking on the timing and magnitude of the severe threats this week.

Severe Weather Forecast

Tuesday

• Forecast: Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected to develop across the Upper Midwest, from parts of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin southwestward into South Dakota, Nebraska, and northern Kansas. The severe weather threat may push across Iowa and into central Wisconsin Tuesday night.
• Threats: Damaging winds, large hail and a few tornadoes.
• Cities: Minneapolis | Fargo, North Dakota | Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Tuesday's Thunderstorm Forecast

Wednesday

• Forecast: The main corridor for severe storms will be in the Plains, including southeast Montana, eastern Wyoming, South Dakota, northwest Iowa, Nebraska, southwest Minnesota and northern Kansas.
• Threats: Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats, though a tornado or two can't be ruled out.
• Cities: Rapid City, South Dakota | North Platte, Nebraska | Goodland, Kansas

Wednesday's Thunderstorm Forecast

Thursday

• Forecast: Scattered severe storms are possible from eastern South Dakota and eastern Nebraska into Iowa, southern Minnesota, northern Missouri, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin
• Threats: Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats, though a tornado or two can't be ruled out.
• Cities: Chicago | Des Moines | Minneapolis

Thursday's Thunderstorm Forecast

Friday

• Forecast: The potential for severe storms will continue farther east along the cold front from the eastern Great Lakes into the Ohio Valley.
• Threats: Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats, though a tornado or two can't be ruled out.
• Cities: Cleveland | Louisville, Kentucky | Pittsburgh

Friday's Thunderstorm Forecast

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PHOTOS: Plains, Midwest Mid-June 2016 Severe Weather and Flooding