Forecasters Put Central U.S. on Alert for Severe Weather by the End of the Week

The combination of building warmth and a fresh wave of moisture will support the development of daily rounds of severe weather this weekend across the Plains and the Midwest. But first, parts of the central U.S. will be dodging storms throughout the balance of this work week. Here is what you should expect in the short term, as well as an early look at what impacts to anticipate this weekend as you make outdoor plans.

Storms This Week Will Give Way to a Stronger Event This Weekend

An active weather pattern is going to cause headaches for those with outdoor plans for the next several days across a large swath of the central U.S. Daily severe thunderstorms will roam the Plains and the Midwest beginning this weekend and lingering into the early part of next week. Potential impacts include damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes. While the precise forecast is not yet available, this is shaping up to be a widespread weather event that will affect millions of Americans.

An expansive area of dry air will put an end to the thunderstorm development for the eastern two-thirds of the nation for the rest of this work week. The exception to this will be a storm impacting Florida for the next several days, as well as highly localized storms roaming some parts of the Plains into the middle of the week.

For instance, Kansas City is bracing for thunderstorms firing up on Thursday afternoon and evening. The storms will likely become more widespread and intense in the evening hours. The steady stream of moisture will persist throughout the day and night on Friday. The metro area will pick up about a quarter of an inch of rain during the day, and another quarter-inch tacked on overnight. Highs will fall from about the 80-degree mark to readings that top out in the low 60s as the frontal boundary arrives.

Wichita will get caught in the crosshairs of Friday's storm event. The city in south-central Kansas is forecast to see thunderstorms packing hail and gusty winds to erupt in the morning hours. The forecast is also calling for winds out of the southeast at 10 to 20 mph and highs in the low 70s. The chance of storms will hang on into the evening and overnight hours, along with lows that land in the upper 50s.