Tornado danger grows in Ohio Valley as volatile storms erupt
The last time a severe weather event brought a tornado threat to the Ohio Valley was in fall 2025. A tornado watch is in place for parts of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois into Thursday night.
Thunderstorms pelted towns in Michigan with hail on Feb. 18 as thunder rumbled over still-melting snow.
A potent storm will spark a round of severe thunderstorms across the Midwest on Thursday. In many parts of the Ohio Valley, the last severe weather event with a tornado risk occurred in the fall.
All modes of severe weather will be possible with the strongest storms, including high wind gusts, hail, a few tornadoes and torrential downpours that could lead to flash flooding.
A tornado watch is in place for parts of Indiana, Kentucky -- including Louisville -- and Illinois into Thursday night.
For some locations in the Ohio Valley, this week may bring the first thunderstorm of the year. A weather setup on Jan. 8-9 produced a few dozen severe weather reports across the Mississippi Valley and western New York but left parts of the Midwest without severe weather.
Most of the severe weather from Thursday to Thursday night will extend along the Mississippi River in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois to southern Ohio, eastern Kentucky and part of West Virginia. The strongest storms are most likely around Louisville, Kentucky, and near Indianapolis.
Some thunder and lightning will likely extend farther northeast into parts of southern Michigan, northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania Thursday night.
While there will be enough warm air, moisture and lift in the atmosphere to support some thunderstorms in the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic states Friday, most of the storms are expected to remain below severe limits.
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