Daily Thunderstorms a Possibility for Parts of Central U.S.

A series of severe storms will unleash torrential rain, potentially damaging winds, and large hail to a large swath of the central U.S. The moisture associated with these storms could be enough to produce flash flooding concerns. Here is a more detailed look at the timing and predicted severity of these storm cells.

Central U.S. Continues to Remain Under Threat of Frequent Storms

Several rounds of storms will ignite on top of a heat dome that has been building in the western U.S. The line of storms will continue to track to the southeast through the end of the week. Meteorologists are warning that some of the storms could bring severe impacts to those in their path.

The current atmospheric conditions are ripe for thunderstorm development on a daily basis. The threat of risk flooding will be the highest in areas that see repeated activity, saturating the ground enough that it will not be able to take on additional moisture.

The primary risks coming from this weather maker include frequent lightning, heavy rain, high winds, and significant hail. Tuesday's severe weather set up over a zone from southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois and down into the corner of northwestern Texas, the northeastern edge of New Mexico, and southeastern Colorado.

Wednesday's Storms to Focus on the Northern Plains

A zone stretching from central Montana, into eastern Wyoming, the Dakotas, and northern and western Nebraska will be under the greatest chance of severe weather on Wednesday. You can expect the storms to ignite during the afternoon hours, persisting under the cover of darkness in some areas. High winds will be one of the greatest concerns in Wednesday's activity with gusts of up to 75 mph a possibility.

The bulk of the northern Plains will see plenty of sunshine in between any errant storms. For instance, the forecast for Rapid City, South Dakota, is calling for mostly sunny skies with the chance of a stray rain shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening hours. It will be a hot day as the heat dome pushes farther in this direction. Rapid City is expecting a high of about 97 degrees and winds out of the east-southeast at 10 to 15 mph.

Bismarck, North Dakota, should prepare for the highest chance of storms to pop up during the evening hours. It will be a warm and windy day with highs in the mid 90s and winds that clock in at 10 to 20 mph from the south-southeast. Overnight lows will fall into the mid 60s in this part of the northern Plains.

By Thursday, another round of severe weather will erupt across the Dakotas before moving farther to the east. Areas in the line of fire for Thursday's storms include western segments of Minnesota and Iowa and down into southern Nebraska, the northern and western edges of Kansas, and the northwestern fringe of Missouri.

A smaller zone of severe storms will stretch from southeastern North Dakota to a large area of central and eastern Nebraska. This will put metro areas such as Omaha in the crosshairs of the potential strong thunderstorms.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will want to be ready for the potential of severe storms in the evening and overnight hours. The storms will be fueled by temperatures that approach the 90-degree mark on Thursday afternoon. Winds will be out of the south-southeast at 10 to 15 mph.

Friday's Storms Inch to the East

The end of the work week will bring more of the same to the central U.S. Friday's storms will track slightly to the east, centering on the zone from northern Minnesota and southern and western Wisconsin and to the south into central Missouri and eastern Kansas.

Major metro areas that could be at risk include Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Des Moines. It is going to be a rocky day of weather in Omaha with rain showers in the early part of the day intensifying into thunderstorms in the afternoon. The clouds will keep temperatures in the low 80s for a high before falling into the low 60s overnight. Winds will reach speeds of 10 to 15 mph, shifting from the south to the northwest as the day progresses.

Chicago is forecast to wake up to rainy conditions in the morning with more storms on deck for the afternoon. The Windy City is predicted to see the mercury plateau in the mid 80s before sliding to about 73 degrees overnight. The scattered storms will persist into the evening and overnight hours.

It is too early to pinpoint with precision what areas of the country may be in store for stormy conditions on Saturday. The current forecast models indicate that the thunderstorms could prowl the area in and around the Great Lakes and the Ohio Valley to start the weekend.

Although tornado season is beginning to move past the peak dates of activity, there is still a chance that isolated twisters could spin up on any day this week. This threat makes it important to stay on top of weather alerts in your specific area.

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