Weekend severe weather, isolated tornadoes to threaten US/Canada border
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 4, 2020 7:35 PM EDT
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms is poised to strike portions of the northern Plains of the United States and adjacent southern Canada this weekend.
This image taken during the late afternoon hours on Saturday, June 6, 2020, shows a swirl of clouds that indicates a strong disturbance pivoting across the Intermountain West. (CIRA/RAMMB)
People in the region are encouraged to pay close attention to the weather and bulletins as they are issued.
The combination of a storm moving onshore in the Pacific Northwest and a strong disturbance at the jet stream height of the atmosphere, the level at which jets usually cruise, will cause thunderstorms to erupt from portions of the northern Rockies to the adjacent High Plains in Wyoming, Montana, western Nebraska and the Dakotas.
The stormy weather unfolded as early as Friday across Utah, with wind gusts over 70 mph reported in a few thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms fired early Saturday afternoon across eastern Utah and western Colorado, prompting severe thunderstorm watches across the region. Storms will will continue to track across the area through Saturday evening.
The first part of Saturday night is likely to very active for thunderstorms and severe weather over areas east of the Rockies. Meanwhile, winds will howl over the Colorado Rockies, eastern slopes of the Rockies and the adjacent High Plains. Gusts near 80 mph can occur in absence of thunderstorms.
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"Essentially, much of the northern High Plains to portions of southern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada, will be at risk Saturday night," AccuWeather Canada Weather Expert Brett Anderson said. Anderson has been forecasting the weather in North America for 31 years at AccuWeather.
Severe weather can extend as far south and west as Utah and Colorado, including around Denver.
The storms will likely bring the full spectrum of severe weather.
"Widespread heavy, gusty thunderstorms are in store, but the strongest storms can bring large hail, damaging straight-line wind gusts, flash flooding and even tornadoes," Anderson said.
By 6:45 p.m. MDT Saturday, the National Weather Service reported over 150 damaging wind reports across Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho alone. Winds of up to 85 mph were reported in Weston County, Wyoming, around just before 6 p.m. MDT.
As the storm moved eastward, Edgemont in Fall River County, South Dakota, experienced winds of up to 77 mph just after 5:30 p.m. MDT. Strong winds continued to bare down on the Plains, threatening South Dakota and Nebraska.
The threat of severe thunderstorms, including isolated tornadoes, will continue on Sunday for some of the same areas, as well as locations farther east in Manitoba and Minnesota.
"I have seen similar setups produce multiple tornadoes in the past," said AccuWeather Storm Chaser Blake Naftel.
Naftel recalled chasing during an outbreak from June 24, 2003, that produced a swarm of tornadoes over the Dakotas and wiped the small community of Manchester, South Dakota, off the map.
In a June 20, 2013, photo shows a memorial site that commemorates the former town of Manchester, S.D. The once bustling community had just six residents when it was destroyed by a strong tornado on June 24, 2003. The twister was the worst of 67 that developed in eastern South Dakota that evening. (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)
Even though the area has had a few rounds of isolated severe thunderstorms in recent months, this has the potential to be the biggest one of the year so far in terms of the number of severe storms and the potential damaging and dangerous nature of the outbreak.
"June and July are the prime months for severe storms over the northern tier of the U.S. and the southern tier of Canada," Anderson said.
"This is because the jet stream has finally retreated to the north, and this area often represents a zone of marked temperature and humidity contrast," he explained.
This is also the season for long-lived severe thunderstorm complexes, known as derechos. These powerful storms can create hurricanelike winds for a brief time and can travel hundreds of miles in a day. The most recent derecho affected areas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey on Wednesday, with winds topping 90 mph. The damaging storms cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in the region.
People in the area, especially those spending time outdoors or traveling, are encouraged to closely monitor the weather, including severe weather watches and warnings as they are issued. The storms could cross major highways such as Interstates 90 and 94, as well as U.S. Route 83 and Canada's Highway 1.
Cities at risk for severe storms include Bismarck and Williston, North Dakota; Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota; Glasgow and Miles City, Montana; Gillette, Wyoming; Scottsbluff, Nebraska; and Regina, Saskatchewan.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Severe Weather
Weekend severe weather, isolated tornadoes to threaten US/Canada border
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jun 4, 2020 7:35 PM EDT
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms is poised to strike portions of the northern Plains of the United States and adjacent southern Canada this weekend.
This image taken during the late afternoon hours on Saturday, June 6, 2020, shows a swirl of clouds that indicates a strong disturbance pivoting across the Intermountain West. (CIRA/RAMMB)
People in the region are encouraged to pay close attention to the weather and bulletins as they are issued.
The combination of a storm moving onshore in the Pacific Northwest and a strong disturbance at the jet stream height of the atmosphere, the level at which jets usually cruise, will cause thunderstorms to erupt from portions of the northern Rockies to the adjacent High Plains in Wyoming, Montana, western Nebraska and the Dakotas.
The stormy weather unfolded as early as Friday across Utah, with wind gusts over 70 mph reported in a few thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms fired early Saturday afternoon across eastern Utah and western Colorado, prompting severe thunderstorm watches across the region. Storms will will continue to track across the area through Saturday evening.
The first part of Saturday night is likely to very active for thunderstorms and severe weather over areas east of the Rockies. Meanwhile, winds will howl over the Colorado Rockies, eastern slopes of the Rockies and the adjacent High Plains. Gusts near 80 mph can occur in absence of thunderstorms.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"Essentially, much of the northern High Plains to portions of southern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada, will be at risk Saturday night," AccuWeather Canada Weather Expert Brett Anderson said. Anderson has been forecasting the weather in North America for 31 years at AccuWeather.
Severe weather can extend as far south and west as Utah and Colorado, including around Denver.
The storms will likely bring the full spectrum of severe weather.
"Widespread heavy, gusty thunderstorms are in store, but the strongest storms can bring large hail, damaging straight-line wind gusts, flash flooding and even tornadoes," Anderson said.
By 6:45 p.m. MDT Saturday, the National Weather Service reported over 150 damaging wind reports across Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho alone. Winds of up to 85 mph were reported in Weston County, Wyoming, around just before 6 p.m. MDT.
As the storm moved eastward, Edgemont in Fall River County, South Dakota, experienced winds of up to 77 mph just after 5:30 p.m. MDT. Strong winds continued to bare down on the Plains, threatening South Dakota and Nebraska.
Related:
The threat of severe thunderstorms, including isolated tornadoes, will continue on Sunday for some of the same areas, as well as locations farther east in Manitoba and Minnesota.
"I have seen similar setups produce multiple tornadoes in the past," said AccuWeather Storm Chaser Blake Naftel.
Naftel recalled chasing during an outbreak from June 24, 2003, that produced a swarm of tornadoes over the Dakotas and wiped the small community of Manchester, South Dakota, off the map.
In a June 20, 2013, photo shows a memorial site that commemorates the former town of Manchester, S.D. The once bustling community had just six residents when it was destroyed by a strong tornado on June 24, 2003. The twister was the worst of 67 that developed in eastern South Dakota that evening. (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers)
Even though the area has had a few rounds of isolated severe thunderstorms in recent months, this has the potential to be the biggest one of the year so far in terms of the number of severe storms and the potential damaging and dangerous nature of the outbreak.
"June and July are the prime months for severe storms over the northern tier of the U.S. and the southern tier of Canada," Anderson said.
"This is because the jet stream has finally retreated to the north, and this area often represents a zone of marked temperature and humidity contrast," he explained.
This is also the season for long-lived severe thunderstorm complexes, known as derechos. These powerful storms can create hurricanelike winds for a brief time and can travel hundreds of miles in a day. The most recent derecho affected areas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey on Wednesday, with winds topping 90 mph. The damaging storms cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers in the region.
People in the area, especially those spending time outdoors or traveling, are encouraged to closely monitor the weather, including severe weather watches and warnings as they are issued. The storms could cross major highways such as Interstates 90 and 94, as well as U.S. Route 83 and Canada's Highway 1.
Cities at risk for severe storms include Bismarck and Williston, North Dakota; Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota; Glasgow and Miles City, Montana; Gillette, Wyoming; Scottsbluff, Nebraska; and Regina, Saskatchewan.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo