Severe Weather Impacts the Midwest and Plains

A significant weather system is affecting parts of the Midwest and the Plains, impacting over 130 million people from Texas to New York.

The tornado threat is rising as of Tuesday, with the most at risk from eastern Iowa through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. However, the forecast for severe thunderstorms has dropped to Level 2 on a five-point scale, according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

Forecasts suggest the possibility of strong EF-2 tornadoes Tuesday afternoon across a broad area, including major cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Des Moines. Southern Michigan, notably Detroit, was also added to this risk zone earlier in the day.

In the Southern Plains, locations including Oklahoma City and parts of northern Texas, such as Wichita Falls, face similar threats from tornadoes and large hail. A dry line, marking the dividing line between dry air and warm, moist air, is expected to set up by Tuesday afternoon.

This situation follows a series of severe storms on Monday that produced damaging tornadoes and hail across parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

The severe weather pattern is expected to continue, with heavy rain leading to flooding risks across the Midwest and Great Lakes as another wave of thunderstorms rolls in from Texas to New York on Wednesday.

Power outages were reported early Tuesday in the Kansas counties of Miami, Franklin, and Linn, as storms delivering tornado warnings the previous night moved through the area.

A tornado hit Hillsdale, Kansas, shortly after 8 p.m. local time on Monday, injuring a couple of individuals and causing significant damage to homes and businesses, according to local authorities.

Various RVs and campers were overturned, and access roads were closed as police worked to secure hazardous structures.

Schools in the area have opened as shelters for those displaced by the storms.

In Ottawa, Kansas, severe weather caused property damage, though officials reported no injuries.

Severe thunderstorms resulted in several tornadoes across Minnesota on Monday. One was spotted by a meteorologist during live coverage, although no major damage was reported statewide.

Another confirmed tornado occurred near Amboy, Minnesota.

Widespread hail, with some stones reaching golf ball size, fell particularly in the southern regions of the state, where a warm front developed south of Minneapolis.

This active spring weather pattern is likely to persist across the central U.S., with severe thunderstorms anticipated throughout the week, including another serious tornado threat expected on Friday in parts of the Plains and Midwest.

Tornado Threat on Tuesday: Including Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit

The severe weather warning expanded on Tuesday, encompassing over 130 million people in a broad area stretching more than 1,500 miles from Big Bend, Texas, up to parts of New England.

The SPC has indicated a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for regions in eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and southern Michigan, particularly around Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit.

A warm front is expected to form over this severe risk area, heightening the potential for storms that cross this boundary. Forecasts indicate the production of large hailstones, possibly 2 to 3 inches in diameter, especially in areas north of where the front sets up by mid to late afternoon.

Ideal conditions for supercell thunderstorms capable of generating strong EF-3 or greater tornadoes are expected to develop south of the warm front around sunset.

In southern areas, severe storms with large hail and tornado risk are expected to form along the dry line stretching across Oklahoma and western Texas.

This storm system, which previously caused hail damage in the Midwest on Monday, is anticipated to reach upstate New York by late Tuesday morning and move into New England by the afternoon or evening.

There is a Level 2 severe storm risk for locations including Burlington, Vermont, Albany, New York, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. Damaging winds are the primary concern, although isolated tornadoes remain on the table.

On Wednesday: Another Storm Hits the Central U.S. with Flash Flood Risks

By Wednesday, the storm is projected to move toward the Mississippi River Valley, carrying risks of damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes across the Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley.

These intense thunderstorms are likely to release significant moisture, leading to heavy rainfall that may result in localized flooding with 1 to 2 inches of precipitation.

Reports of flooding have already surfaced in Oconto, Kewaunee, and Brown counties in Wisconsin, with many roads rendered impassable and vehicles stranded.

Additionally, the swath from Texas to Western New York remains under a Level 1 flash flood risk.