Thunderstorm as viewed from Oologah Dam in NE Oklahoma. Courtesy of Flickr user Topato.
Warm, moist air surging northward across the nation's heartland will set the stage for severe storms across the eastern Dakotas tonight.
As a storm system emerging from the northern Rockies plows into the unstable air mass, thunderstorms are expected to erupt this evening across the Dakotas. From there, they should rumble north and eastward through the night impacting the eastern Dakotas and possibly reaching far western Minnesota close to daybreak on Thursday.
The main threat from these storms will be damaging winds and large hail. There is a small likelihood of a tornado. Residents from Pierre and Aberdeen, S.D., to Fargo, N.D., could be in for a stormy night.
Large hail can produce damage to crops and property and gusty winds have the potential to down trees and power lines.
In addition to the severe weather, these storms can produce torrential rainfall in a short amount of time, leading to ponding of water on the roadways, reduced visibility and localized flooding.
Rounds of heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding are forecast to continue over part of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest into next week.
Elsewhere across the nation, widespread damaging thunderstorms are not expected today or tonight. However, a few spotty strong storms could ignite this afternoon along and just south of the Red River in Texas.
While these storms can bring some gusty winds and hail, heavy rainfall could be a bigger threat, leading to some flooding.
Looking ahead at the end of the week, the severe weather threat will shift eastward into the Upper Midwest. Residents from Omaha, Neb., to St. Cloud, Minn., could see nasty storms tomorrow. Stay tuned to AccuWeather.com for updates.
So far this year California has seen 1,569 wildfires, 85 percent more than in an average year.
The Memorial Day weekend will begin cool, windy and rainy in New England and part of the mid-Atlantic.
GOES-East failed again late Tuesday. It is one of the main satellites meteorologists use for the eastern part of the United States and the tropical Atlantic.
The tornado tore through a path 17 miles long on Monday and had wind speeds as high as 200 mph.
On the two-year anniversary of the EF-5 tornado that leveled Joplin, Mo., the town has deployed assistance to Moore, Okla.
Severe storms are shifting eastward Wednesday evening, delivering strong wind, heavy rain and hail.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
Northeast (1989)
More rain in an already wet month. Monthly
totals topped 11 inches at New York City,
9 inches at Bridgeport, CT and 8 inches at
Baltimore (all three records for May).
New Hampshire (1814)
Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and
North Chester, NH; Tornado and hailstones
with 11-inch circumference weighing 1/2
pound.
Washington, DC (1925)
97 degrees.
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