Watch Issued: Severe Storms Return to the Plains, Midwest This Week

Brian Donegan
Published: July 26,2016
The risk for strong to severe thunderstorms, with large hail and damaging wind gusts, returns to portions of the Plains and Midwest this week.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe thunderstorm watch valid until 11 p.m. CDT for north-central Nebraska and south-central and southwest South Dakota. This watch area includes Valentine, Nebraska.
Additionally, localized flash flooding is a possibility across those regions, as heavy downpours could dump significant amounts of rain over a short amount of time.

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 into midweek.

Severe Weather Forecast

Tuesday Evening

• Forecast: Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are possible across parts of the central and northern High Plains Tuesday afternoon and evening, including portions of the Dakotas and Nebraska.
• Threats: Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats, but an isolated tornado can't be ruled out.
• Cities: Bismarck, North Dakota | Pierre, South Dakota 

Tuesday Evening's Thunderstorm Forecast

Wednesday

• Forecast: Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms are expected across portions of the Plains and Midwest, including South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas eastward into Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.
• Threats: Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats, but an isolated tornado can't be ruled out.
• Cities: Omaha | Des Moines | Rapid City | North Platte, Nebraska

Wednesday's Thunderstorm Forecast

Thursday
Severe thunderstorms could persist into Thursday from eastern Wyoming southward into northern Oklahoma, but the chance of organized thunderstorms is small. Gusty winds and large hail would be the largest threat.
A secondary area of strong to severe storms is possible in northeastern North Carolina into Virginia during the afternoon or evening hours. The chance of organized severe storms is low.

Severe Weather Setup

A series of weak upper-level atmospheric disturbances will move eastward across the Plains and Midwest this week.

Mid- to late-week severe weather setup.

The timing of each disturbance remains a bit uncertain, but the interaction of the disturbances with a stalled out cold front across those regions should yield some thunderstorm activity over the next couple of days.
A widespread severe weather outbreak appears unlikely, but there is a decent potential for a few of the storms to reach severe limits each day through midweek. Large hail and damaging wind gusts are the primary threats with any of the thunderstorms that do turn severe.

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