Plains face heavy, locally damaging storms through the early week
A strengthening storm and returning warmth will trigger pockets of severe thunderstorms from Texas to North Dakota, with the primary threats being from damaging winds and hail.
Security camera footage from this home in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, shows the intense moment a lightning bolt struck this tree, causing it to explode with fire, bark and flying debris on Sept. 9.
Warmth that built up over the Plains this past week will clash with an emerging storm from the Rockies, causing an eruption of locally severe thunderstorms across the Plains through the weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
A strong jet stream will provide thunderstorms with added energy, raising the risk of damaging wind gusts at ground level. A limiting factor for widespread severe thunderstorms may be the amount of moisture available. For now, humidity levels have only bounced back to moderate levels, unlike during mid- to late spring when conditions tend to become very humid during a severe weather setup.
The risk of severe weather is forecast to occur across portions of Minnesota and Iowa, as well as the Dakotas and Nebraska, on Sunday.
In addition to damaging winds and hail, there can also be isolated tornadoes, particularly across central North Dakota and northern South Dakota.
A lull in widespread thunderstorm activity is expected Monday across the center of the nation, which will bring a much-needed break to those who have had multiple rounds of thunderstorms this weekend.
While much of the Plains will get a break, the threat for locally severe thunderstorms can reignite across the Rockies, and storms fire up across Montana and Wyoming during the afternoon hours.
Coverage will be isolated; however, any thunderstorm will be capable of producing a quick downpour along with some hail and locally damaging winds.
Thunderstorm activity will ramp up in the Plains again Tuesday as a new storm swings into the region. The main zone for severe weather will extend along a corridor from southern South Dakota through the Texas Panhandle.
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