DES MOINES, Iowa – Rounds of powerful storms are expected in the Midwest on Tuesday, continuing a dayslong severe weather threat for several parts of the U.S.
The FOX Forecast Center said a big cold front will be sweeping through the country’s middle part, affecting major cities from Chicago to Dallas. Ahead of the cold front, there will be a favorable environment for supporting severe storms as the atmosphere becomes very unstable.
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The worst storms are expected in Iowa, northern Missouri, northwestern Illinois, southwestern Wisconsin and far southeastern Minnesota. Any severe storms could produce a few strong tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail.
“We’re going to have multiple tornadoes today (Tuesday). It’s not an if. It’s a where,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “We know that the highest priority and the highest likelihood of seeing these powerful tornadoes will be Iowa, because that’s where we have the wind shear.”
A pair of Severe Thunderstorm Watches have been issued for southeastern Nebraska and central and southern Iowa until early afternoon.
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Nearly 4 million people are at a Level 4 out of 5 risk of severe weather on Tuesday. This includes the cities of Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo in Iowa and St. Joseph in Missouri.
(FOX Weather)
Storms should develop earlier compared to the previous couple of days, making for a longer day of tracking storms, the FOX Forecast Center said.
More dangerous storms Wednesday-Thursday
The line of storms will continue into Wednesday, stretching from the eastern Great Lakes down to the Plains.
The FOX Forecast Center said details are still unclear on how Wednesday plays out, but ingredients are in place for at least a day of damaging wind gusts and large hail. The highest threat of severe weather will extend from North Texas to the Missouri Bootheel.
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The cold front slows down on Thursday, and a new low-pressure system will likely form much farther south, putting the bull’s-eye on the central and southern Plains and the Ark-La-Tex region. These storms will stay out of Houston but will be a problem for cities like Dallas and Little Rock, Arkansas.
All severe storm threats look to be on the table, including damaging winds, large hail and a couple of tornadoes. The flash flood threat will also ramp up as waves of heavy rain move in.
(FOX Weather)