Plains and Midwest in Crosshairs for Severe Weather in Days Ahead

Severe storms will rattle the Plains and the Midwest through the weekend, threatening the region with large hail, damaging winds, and the chance of flash flooding. Here is a look at the specific timing and targets of this weather maker as you make your weekend plans.

Stormy Conditions to Characterize the Weekend for Much of the Central U.S.

The Plains and the Upper Midwest will be ground zero for Mother Nature's wrath this weekend. A large heat dome coming together over the Great Lakes and the Northeast in the days ahead will spur the development of storms to the west. Several inches of rain are on tap in a zone from Kansas and to the northeast into Wisconsin.

The rain will fall in at least two to three rounds with brief drying periods in between. Motorists using portions of interstates 35, 70, 80, and 90 in this region will want to be ready for the chance of ponding and reduced visibility on the roadways.

The heaviest bands of rain could produce rainfall rates of 1 to 3 inches per hour. Rain falling this intensely is enough to create urban flooding and rapid rises on small waterways.

While the bulk of the moisture will fall over a rural area, there are still a number of cities that will be in the line of fire for potentially dangerous conditions. Some of the metro areas expecting to be hit by the storms include Topeka, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Moline and Rockford, Illinois; Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The rain will be the most intense beginning Saturday and lasting through Monday. The forecast models predict three-day rainfall totals of 1 to 4 inches in the swath of land from northeastern Kansas and up into northern Michigan. A greater concentration of 4 to 8 inches of rain is likely in the heart of this zone, including southeastern Iowa, the southwestern corner of Wisconsin, and northern Missouri.

The arrival of moisture is good news for the farmers in the nation's heartland, particularly in places where rain has been hard to come by as crops inch closer to harvest. However, too much rain too quickly can also flood the fields.

A mass of cooler and less humid air diving down from central Canada is merging with the building heat dome to the east to fuel the storms. The clash of the competing air masses will naturally feed this weather maker.

The action got started late Thursday across Montana and the Dakotas. Large hail and strong winds were reported across the region. For instance, hail the size of golf balls and winds hitting 90 mph battered the impacted area overnight.

The storms will roam central and northeastern portions of Nebraska and to the north through the Dakotas on Friday. The highest risk of severe weather will train over northeastern South Dakota, the eastern edge of North Dakota, and northwestern Minnesota at this time. Forecasters are warning that hail the size of baseballs and winds that reach speeds of 80 mph are possible with the Friday night storms. Isolated tornadic activity is also on the table.

Saturday's Forecast Offers More of the Same Stormy Conditions

Saturday's storms are forecast to be more widespread, encompassing the area from eastern Colorado and over into northwestern Illinois, Wisconsin, and the northern tier of Michigan. This impact area includes the major urban areas of Kansas City, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Get out early for outdoor activities, as storms are more likely during the latter part of the day and into the evening hours.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will be a hotbed of activity on Saturday. This city is expecting the storms to ignite during the day and intensify overnight. The highest rates of rain are forecast to happen under the cover of darkness. Rain is likely to eclipse one inch in the overnight hours and into Sunday. The forecast is calling for a high in the mid 80s and lows that slip into the upper 60s. It will also be a breezy day with winds out of the south at 10 to 20 mph.

Sunday's forecast is calling for more volatile weather. The storm line is also predicted to creep to the south and into the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. This movement will happen as the storms persist as far as northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The far western edge of the action will remain in eastern Colorado.

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