July to kick off with more damaging thunderstorms in central US
At the Chicagoland Speedway, located in Chicago, Illinois, a NASCAR race was getting set start, on June 30, while powerful gusts were occurring. The winds became so bad that they completely knocked the legs out from underneath one of the tents.
Another round of severe thunderstorms will take aim at the central United States into Monday night.
These storms follow a violent end to June across the Central states, with hundreds of reports of wind damage from South Dakota and Minnesota to Illinois and Indiana on Sunday.
The storms barreled through Chicagoland Speedway with damaging winds and frequent lightning shortly after the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race got underway.
Lightning strikes in Chicago, Illinois, near the John Hancock Center skyscraper on Sunday afternoon. (Twitter/@barrybutler9)
"On Monday, the severe weather threat will extend from northeastern New Mexico and neighboring parts of Texas to southern Minnesota and Wisconsin," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski, adding that Minneapolis is one of the larger cities that will be at risk.
People in and around Pueblo and Lamar, Colorado; Colby, Kansas; North Platte, Nebraska; Sioux City and Des Moines, Iowa; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; will also need to monitor the weather situation and be ready to seek shelter indoors and away from windows if necessary.
The worst of the storms are expected to occur through the first half of the night.
"Damaging winds and large hail will be possible in the severe storms," said AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Max Vido. A handful of tornadoes can also spin up.
Torrential downpours accompanying the storms will make for poor driving conditions for motorists on stretches of interstates 29, 35, 70, 80 and 90.
Areas that have been hit repeatedly with thunderstorms over the past few days will also have a heightened threat for flash flooding, according to Vido.
The corridor from eastern South Dakota through southern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin may be at highest risk for flash and urban flooding, as this zone has been the hotbed for repeating downpours.
People camping near small creeks and streams should closely monitor water levels and seek higher ground if downpours persist over the area.
Storms with strong winds, downpours and hail are also expected to ignite ahead of a press of cooler air in central and eastern Montana on Monday.
These storms may shift into the northern Plains on Tuesday, while a separate zone of heavy and gusty storms takes aim from Nebraska to northwestern Pennsylvania on this day.
Download the free AccuWeather app for the latest severe weather alerts in your community. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
