Stretch of US from St. Louis to Chicago under threat of severe weather
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 29, 2022 3:53 PM EDT
|
Updated Apr 30, 2022 3:28 PM EDT
For the second day in a row, a severe weather system moving west to east is set to bring a couple of days of potentially dangerous and damaging storms this time to portions of the Midwest and southern Plains through Monday night, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The weekend could get off to a turbulent start, and multiple major cities will be under a threat of not only explosive thunderstorms but also the chance of isolated tornadoes.
On Friday, several tornadoes were reported throughout the day, including a confirmed tornado near Stamford, Nebraska. On Friday evening, a destructive tornado was spotted approaching a residential area of Andover, Kansas, which is located just east of Wichita.
Large hail also impacted much of Nebraska and Kansas on Friday, including Enterprise, Kansas, which saw hail as large as softballs impact the area. In Axtell, Nebraska, hail got as large as tennis balls, according to storm reports.
Into Saturday night, the risk of severe thunderstorms will extend northeastward, including parts of the Mississippi Valley like St. Louis, where temperatures will top out in the mid-70s, during the afternoon. As the day progresses, the storms will also extend into a portion of the Great Lakes region that will include the Chicago metro area from late Saturday afternoon to Saturday evening. Daytime temperatures in Chicago are expected to reach into the low 60s.
Atmospheric conditions may limit the number of exceptionally powerful storms that break out on Saturday, but the storms that manage to erupt can pack quite a punch in some communities.
Although storms will be to the east of Nebraska and Kansas by Saturday, there will still be a risk of an expansive area of strong winds. Cheyenne, Wyoming; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska; are just a few locations where winds may be strong enough to cause localized power outages to begin the weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Wind gusts are expected to be between 50 and 70 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph for the strongest gusts.
Farther to the north, the weather won't be severe but will be rainy enough to aggravate problems triggered by weather events earlier in April.
The same storm system causing the potential for severe weather will bring drenching rain to portions of the northern Plains that have been hit by both rain and snowstorms in recent weeks. Melting and runoff from the storms have pushed the Red River of the North to major flood stage in some communities.
Where large pools of water are not present, many fields are saturated and will take many weeks to dry out. Rain from the storm into this weekend can aggravate flooding and soggy fields, forecasters say.
Severe storms may bring sporadic drought relief next week
Looking ahead to the early part of the week, another round of thunderstorms farther south early next week may bring severe weather and also beneficial downpours to some drought-ravaged locations of the Plains.
This round of severe weather is forecast to ramp up over the Plains on Sunday and Monday.
As a parade of storms continues to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and across the Western states, one such storm may track far enough to the south to tap into Gulf of Mexico moisture sooner rather than later.
A stalled front may help bring drenching showers and thunderstorms to portions of northern and western Texas and western and central Oklahoma early next week, AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Much of this region is experiencing moderate to exceptional long-term drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. Any soaking rain would be more than welcomed in the region.
While the storms could ultimately end up being spotty in nature, some communities could be hit with so much rain at once that flash flooding will be possible.
There is also the likelihood of severe weather accompanying some of the storms. Despite the prospect of much-needed rain for a portion of the southern High Plains early next week, it may be difficult for any rain to reach very far to the west in drought-plagued New Mexico.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Stretch of US from St. Louis to Chicago under threat of severe weather
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 29, 2022 3:53 PM EDT | Updated Apr 30, 2022 3:28 PM EDT
For the second day in a row, a severe weather system moving west to east is set to bring a couple of days of potentially dangerous and damaging storms this time to portions of the Midwest and southern Plains through Monday night, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
The weekend could get off to a turbulent start, and multiple major cities will be under a threat of not only explosive thunderstorms but also the chance of isolated tornadoes.
On Friday, several tornadoes were reported throughout the day, including a confirmed tornado near Stamford, Nebraska. On Friday evening, a destructive tornado was spotted approaching a residential area of Andover, Kansas, which is located just east of Wichita.
Large hail also impacted much of Nebraska and Kansas on Friday, including Enterprise, Kansas, which saw hail as large as softballs impact the area. In Axtell, Nebraska, hail got as large as tennis balls, according to storm reports.
Into Saturday night, the risk of severe thunderstorms will extend northeastward, including parts of the Mississippi Valley like St. Louis, where temperatures will top out in the mid-70s, during the afternoon. As the day progresses, the storms will also extend into a portion of the Great Lakes region that will include the Chicago metro area from late Saturday afternoon to Saturday evening. Daytime temperatures in Chicago are expected to reach into the low 60s.
Atmospheric conditions may limit the number of exceptionally powerful storms that break out on Saturday, but the storms that manage to erupt can pack quite a punch in some communities.
Although storms will be to the east of Nebraska and Kansas by Saturday, there will still be a risk of an expansive area of strong winds. Cheyenne, Wyoming; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska; are just a few locations where winds may be strong enough to cause localized power outages to begin the weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Wind gusts are expected to be between 50 and 70 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph for the strongest gusts.
Farther to the north, the weather won't be severe but will be rainy enough to aggravate problems triggered by weather events earlier in April.
The same storm system causing the potential for severe weather will bring drenching rain to portions of the northern Plains that have been hit by both rain and snowstorms in recent weeks. Melting and runoff from the storms have pushed the Red River of the North to major flood stage in some communities.
Where large pools of water are not present, many fields are saturated and will take many weeks to dry out. Rain from the storm into this weekend can aggravate flooding and soggy fields, forecasters say.
Severe storms may bring sporadic drought relief next week
Looking ahead to the early part of the week, another round of thunderstorms farther south early next week may bring severe weather and also beneficial downpours to some drought-ravaged locations of the Plains.
This round of severe weather is forecast to ramp up over the Plains on Sunday and Monday.
As a parade of storms continues to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and across the Western states, one such storm may track far enough to the south to tap into Gulf of Mexico moisture sooner rather than later.
A stalled front may help bring drenching showers and thunderstorms to portions of northern and western Texas and western and central Oklahoma early next week, AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
Much of this region is experiencing moderate to exceptional long-term drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. Any soaking rain would be more than welcomed in the region.
While the storms could ultimately end up being spotty in nature, some communities could be hit with so much rain at once that flash flooding will be possible.
There is also the likelihood of severe weather accompanying some of the storms. Despite the prospect of much-needed rain for a portion of the southern High Plains early next week, it may be difficult for any rain to reach very far to the west in drought-plagued New Mexico.
SEE ALSO:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo