Scattered severe thunderstorms are making their return to some of the hardest hit areas of the year. After a much-needed break in the severe storms, a pair of severe weather days looks in store for the Midwest.
CHICAGO – Severe storms are set to rumble across the Plains and Midwest as a new disturbance rolls out of the Northwest starting Wednesday.
The initial round of severe storms will fire across the Upper Midwest on Wednesday afternoon. The stronger storms could become supercells capable of large hail greater than 3 inches in diameter, damaging wind gusts up to 65 mph and a couple of tornadoes.
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By early evening, low-level wind shear – the change in wind speed and direction with height – will intensify, which will increase the chance of a few tornadoes across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. A wind-damage threat will also be possible. This includes the Duluth area.
The FOX Forecast Center noted there have not been any tornadoes recorded in northeastern Minnesota in two years.
“Notice we do have a Level 3 out of 5 threat for severe storms,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Kendall Smith said. “This is centered right over kind of northern Minnesota.”
More than a half-million people are impacted by this Level 3 risk, including in cities such as Duluth, Hibbing, Brainerd and Cloquet in Minnesota, in addition to Superior, Wisconsin.
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The severe weather threat should continue into the mid- to late evening as storms move eastward into the far western Great Lakes region.
More severe storms to fire up Thursday
Severe storms will fire up again on Thursday from the central Plains to the Great Lakes ahead of a cold front sweeping through the region. Cities such as Chicago and Kansas City are in the greatest threat area.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 2 out of 5 on the severe storm risk scale impacting nearly 16 million people in other major cities including Aurora, Illinois, and Overland Park, Kansas.
“Today’s (Wednesday’s) coverage is more sparse, tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) coverage more widespread, but coverage is more of a strong, damaging wind event,” Smith said.
(FOX Weather)
While severe storms could develop along a 1,000-mile stretch from eastern Colorado and Wyoming into Michigan, the greatest potential for severe storms appears to be from northeastern Kansas northeastward into southern Michigan, where the greatest atmospheric energy will develop.
While supercells with large hail are possible, it appears clusters of storms and their associated damaging wind gusts will be the main threat. A tornado or two cannot be ruled out either.