Rounds of storms to bring lightning and strong wind gusts across Plains, Midwest this week
Severe thunderstorms will impact parts of the Plain and Midwest this week, bringing localized damaging winds, hail and flooding downpours. There can be a tornado or two as well.
Intense winds of various directions gusted through Hudson, Florida, during a tornado-warned storm on May 12.
Multiple areas of the Plains and Midwest will face thunderstorms throughout the week and this weekend, including storms that could become locally damaging and dangerous.
Even a single severe thunderstorm can cause significant impacts in local communities, with lightning strikes being the most common danger, while stronger storms could produce hail and damaging wind gusts.
Lightning illuminates the sky behind a television tower as a thunderstorm moves through Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Wednesday's storms
As a cold front pushed east through Wednesday night, so did the risk of severe weather. Numerous reports of hail and damage from strong winds occurred across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York as storms moved through the states.
About 1,500 miles farther west, parts of the Rockies faced very high winds from thunderstorms on Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, there were over 150 reports of damaging wind gusts across Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, with the highest report being 93 mph near Smithfield, Utah.
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Thursday's storms
A risk of severe thunderstorms will return to the Plains Thursday, with AccuWeather meteorologists indicating the threat will stretch from western Texas to southern Nebraska, southern Iowa and central Illinois.
Hail, flooding downpours and localized damaging wind gusts on the order of 60-70 mph are the most likely risks within the strongest thunderstorms across the aforementioned zone; however, an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ is 85 mph.
More storms later this week into the weekend
A couple of complexes of heavy to locally severe thunderstorms are likely to develop from the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles to Iowa and far western Illinois Friday before the threat ramps up over the weekend.
Severe thunderstorms are forecast Saturday afternoon and evening from Kansas, western and northern Oklahoma and northwestern Texas to much of Illinois and Indiana.
The main threats from these storms will be from high wind gusts of 60-70 mph and damaging hail. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust for Saturday's storms is 80 mph.
The severe weather risk Sunday will return to a similar area that experienced the same risk Saturday, while expanding northward and eastward through southeastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois.
As on Saturday, the main threats from these storms Sunday will be high wind gusts of 60-70 mph and damaging hail. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ wind gust for Sunday's storms is 80 mph. The risk of a few tornadoes will increase, especially over the northern part of the zone, including Nebraska and Iowa.
On Monday, the risk of severe weather will extend from north-central Texas to southeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The potential for severe weather will continue farther to the east over the Central states Tuesday.
Beneficial rain with localized flash flooding
Along with the likelihood of locally severe thunderstorms from this weekend to early next week will be areas of repeating downpours. In the most extreme cases, a few inches of rain may pour down over several hours, which can lead to flash flooding.
Flash flooding can occur in both urban and rural areas, even in areas experiencing drought. Non-flooding rain may be beneficial for agriculture in the region, where crops have already been planted and are awaiting the moisture needed to grow.
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