Severe storms to spark damaging winds across central US into Friday

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist

August 18,2016; 7:14PM,EDT

 

 

Following locally damaging storms over the north-central United States into Thursday night, the risk of violent storms will expand over the Plains and Upper Midwest into Friday night.
A push of autumnlike air into a zone of steamy conditions over the middle of the nation will be the trigger for severe weather through the end of the week.
"Thunderstorm winds gusted to 75 mph early Thursday morning in Jamestown, North Dakota, and the damaging wind threat will continue," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.
There can also be hail and flash flooding in some locations with the risk of a few isolated tornadoes during the event, Pydynowski said.
Into Thursday night, storms will advance southeastward across South Dakota, Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

Cities at risk include Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, into Thursday night.
On Friday, the potential for violent storms will extend from central and southern Wisconsin to northern Oklahoma. A secondary batch of big storms will hit from southeastern Wyoming to eastern Colorado and western Nebraska.
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"The greatest risk of severe weather will extend from southern and eastern Iowa to southeastern Nebraska, northwestern Missouri and central and eastern Kansas, during Friday afternoon and evening," Pydynowski said.

Cities at risk for potentially damaging storms on Friday include Ponca City, Oklahoma; Wichita and Topeka, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines and Davenport, Iowa; and Madison, Wisconsin.
"Some of the stronger storms can produce rope (thin) tornadoes over the High Plains, including the Denver area, during Friday afternoon," she said.

During this weekend, the risk of violent thunderstorms will diminish. However, as the push of cooler and less humid air continues to advance, storms with the potential for locally gusty winds and flash flooding will be a concern from the Midwest to the lower Mississippi Valley and the southern Plains.
The downpours will aggravate the flooding disaster in southern Louisiana.