Millions of people in the Plains and Midwest will be at risk of seeing severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, hail and possible tornadoes this week.
Millions of people from the Plains to the Midwest will be on alert for powerful thunderstorms capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail and possible tornadoes on Monday, one day after the second derecho in a week blasted through Kansas and Missouri with 100-mph wind gusts and baseball-sized hail.
The highest threat of severe weather will be found across portions of the Plains on Monday, but the potential for powerful storms will also have people in cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Moines in Iowa on alert.
(FOX Weather)
The FOX Forecast Center says that similar to Sunday, a trough is expected to move around a dip in the jet stream and will allow for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop on Monday.
And those storms could be in more clusters, which would increase the coverage of severe thunderstorms.
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Monday’s severe weather threat
(FOX Weather)
Monday’s severe weather threat stretches from Wyoming to the Great Lakes, but NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has highlighted two areas of concern where the risk of severe weather is greater.
More than 16 million people have been placed in a Level 2 out of 5 risk on the SPC’s 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.
The first Level 2 risk zone stretches across the Plains and includes cities like Cheyenne in Wyoming, Omaha and Lincoln in Nebraska, and Des Moines.
Another Level 2 threat exists across portions of southern Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, and northern Illinois, including Chicago.
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However, more than 200,000 people across portions of southwestern Nebraska, northwestern Kansas and northeastern Colorado have been placed in a Level 3 out of 5 risk.
Some tornadoes will be possible within the thunderstorms that develop on Monday, but forecasters say they’re more concerned about the risk of damaging wind gusts and large hail.
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Tuesday’s severe weather threat
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The multiday severe weather threat will continue into Tuesday and includes a much larger area of the U.S. than with previous days.
Tens of millions of people from Texas to the Great Lakes will be at risk of seeing strong to severe thunderstorms on Tuesday, but the SPC is zoning in on parts of the Midwest where the threat is much higher.
Nearly 12 million people from Missouri to Wisconsin are in a Level 3 out of 5 risk on Tuesday, which includes Kansas City in Missouri, Des Moines in Iowa, Peoria in Illinois and La Crosse in Wisconsin.
The Level 2 risk includes nearly 31 million people in cities like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma.
Damaging wind gusts, large hail and possible tornadoes are again going to be the main threats from thunderstorms that develop across the region on Tuesday.
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(FOX Weather)
The FOX Forecast Center says the line of thunderstorms will continue into Wednesday, stretching from the Great Lakes to the Plains.
It’s still several days out, and some changes to the forecast are likely, but the FOX Forecast Center said it expects ingredients will be in place for storms to produce more damaging wind gusts and hail.
The front will then slow down and a new area of low pressure is likely to form farther south, putting the southern Plains at risk for severe weather on Thursday.
At this time Houston, which experienced a deadly derecho at the end of last week, isn’t seeing the higher severe weather threat on Thursday.
Instead, powerful storms are possible in North Texas and the ArkLaTex region.
All severe thunderstorm threats will be possible, as well as the threat of flash flooding due to heavy rain falling on already saturated ground.