Severe Weather Threat Across the Midwest and Plains

A significant severe weather threat is once again looming over the Midwest and Plains, impacting over 130 million individuals from Texas to New York.

The tornado risk is expected to rise on Tuesday across a narrow area spanning eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin, and northern Illinois, while the severe thunderstorm threat is rated lower than Level 3 on a five-point scale, as outlined by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

A stretch of the Southern Plains, particularly central Oklahoma—Oklahoma City included—and parts of North Texas, like Wichita Falls, are facing dangers from tornadoes and large hail. This scenario arises as a dry line, marking the boundary between dry western air and warm, moist Gulf Coast air, is forecasted for Tuesday afternoon.

This comes after violent storms caused damaging tornadoes and hail across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas on Monday.

A fresh wave of severe thunderstorms is anticipated from Texas to New York on Wednesday, likely exacerbating flooding risks in areas of the Midwest and Great Lakes after several days of heavy rain.

Power outages were reported early Tuesday in Miami, Franklin, and Linn counties in eastern Kansas following a storm with tornado warnings that swept through the region Monday night.

A tornado struck near Hillsdale, Kansas, shortly after 8 p.m. local time Monday, injuring two and destroying properties, the Miami County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Numerous RVs and campers were overturned, with police closing roads to unsafe areas. Local schools are operating as shelters for those displaced.

In Ottawa, Kansas, severe weather caused building damage, though no injuries were reported, according to city officials.

Tornadoes were spawned by severe thunderstorms in parts of Minnesota on Monday; one was even noted by a FOX Weather meteorologist during live coverage outside Truman, although no significant damage was reported statewide.

Corey Gerken from FOX Storm Tracker confirmed a tornado near Amboy, Minnesota, on Monday afternoon, where widespread hail fell, including golf ball-sized pieces in southern regions around Minneapolis.

This active spring weather pattern is evolving across the central U.S., with continued severe thunderstorms likely throughout the week, as another tornado threat is expected Friday across parts of the Plains and Midwest.

Tornado Threat Spans Major Cities

The severe weather threat has broadened further on Tuesday, now affecting over 130 million people across a region extending from Texas’s Big Bend to parts of New England.

The SPC identified a Level 3 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms in areas of eastern Iowa, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and southern Michigan—this includes major cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit.

A warm front is set to re-emerge across this Level 3 threat area, enhancing storms crossing this boundary. By late afternoon, these storms could generate hailstones ranging from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, particularly north of the front.

Conditions are primed along or south of the warm front for supercell thunderstorms that may produce potent EF-3+ tornadoes.

In southern regions on Tuesday, significant storms capable of generating large hail and tornadoes are expected along a dry line present in Oklahoma and western Texas.

The storms responsible for damaging hail in the Midwest on Monday will continue moving into upstate New York by late Tuesday morning and reach New England by evening.

A Level 2 severe storm risk encompasses Burlington, Vermont; Albany, New York; and Scranton, Pennsylvania, where damaging wind gusts are a primary concern, along with the possibility of isolated tornadoes.

Third Wave of Storms and Flooding Risks

Wednesday will see the storm advance toward the Mississippi River Valley, posing risks of damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes across the corridor, mainly affecting the Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley.

Thunderstorms, besides their intense nature, can produce substantial amounts of moisture, translating to heavy rainfall that could yield 1 to 2 inches of rain.

On Tuesday, localized flooding was reported in Oconto, Kewaunee, and Brown counties in Wisconsin, with many roads under water and vehicles trapped.

The same area from Texas to Western New York also faces a Level 1 of 4 flash flood risk.