Severe Storms Target Heartland Wednesday Evening

June 20, 2012; 4:33 PM
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Powerful thunderstorms will cut a swath across the nation's heartland into Wednesday night, threatening to bring flooding downpours, hail and damaging winds.

The storms will continue to erupt along and ahead of a cold front slicing into summerlike heat and humidity in place over the Midwest.

Some of the storms will impact the waterlogged Northland of Minnesota, still reeling from extensive flooding since Tuesday.

The overall area in the threat zone extends from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan south and west through Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, Iowa, southeastern Nebraska, northwestern Missouri and Kansas from into Wednesday night.

This encompasses vast areas of countryside and population centers, including Marquette, Mich.; Green Bay and Madison, Wis.; Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa; the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois; Lincoln and Omaha, Neb.; Kansas City, Mo.; as well as Topeka and Wichita, Kan.

As is typical with strong cold fronts cutting into warm air masses, many of the storms that develop could turn severe and generate hail large enough to cause damage.

Strong wind gusts in excess of 40 to 50 mph will also be a frequent occurrence in the storms.

The atmosphere will also continue to be loaded with plenty of water, meaning thunderstorms will be able to ring out plenty of moisture in the form of torrential downpours.

Heavy rain will quickly overwhelm storm drains in low-lying areas, creating a hazard, not only for drivers but pedestrians as well. Never, ever drive through areas where water is covering or flowing across the roadway.

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