Plains and Upper Midwest Will be Dodging Storms at Times This Week

This week will begin where last week left off with more storms on tap for the Plains and the Upper Midwest. Read on for a closer look at the unsettled forecast.

Monday Will Bring More Stormy Weather

After a weekend of hazardous weather, potentially destructive winds and hail will continue to be a threat for the Rockies and the High Plains heading into the beginning of the week. A secondary storm threat is also in the cards for parts of the Midwest.

Monday morning will dawn calmly in most areas of the central U.S. However, the natural heating of the day will pair with the surge of energy in the atmosphere to cause storms to fire up across the northern High Plains. The southwestern corner of South Dakota and into western Nebraska and northeastern Colorado will likely be the first areas to see the storms come to life. The strongest storm cells could produce isolated tornadic activity.

The line of storms is forecast to persist overnight. The most prevalent danger at this time will come in the form of high winds. Some of the storms could also pose the risk of hail.

Tuesday's Storms Will Move to the East

Tuesday's storm action will creep to the east. While there may still be some lingering storms in the Plains on this day, the bulk of the inclement conditions will track into the Midwest. The silver lining is that there will be less energy in the atmosphere to work with, translating to less severe storms. The greatest threat on Tuesday will be torrential rain and localized damaging winds.

Wednesday's Forecast is Calling for Storms to Shift Back to the West

The primary risk zone will shift farther to the west again on Wednesday, bringing the High Plains and beyond back into the line of fire. The storms will be fueled by a building heat dome over the northern Rockies and High Plains beginning Tuesday. The peak of the heat in the interior West is expected on Wednesday.

The rising temperatures in this part of the country could challenge long-standing daily high records while also serving to support the development of thunderstorms. The storms are not predicted to erupt until the later part of the day. The arrival of a cold front will work to further amplify the chance of stormy conditions. Wednesday's likely hazards include flash flooding, hail, and damaging winds.

Forecasters are warning that the peak of the severe weather will likely hit on Thursday. The approaching cold front will serve to spark storms when it clashes with an existing mass of unseasonably hot temperatures. The merger of these competing air masses will pair with the spin in the atmosphere to generate widespread storms by the latter part of the day.

Although it is still too early to predict with precision, the Dakotas are expected to take the brunt of this weather maker. Meteorologists are warning that the storms could come on suddenly, triggering flooding downpours, large hail, destructive winds, and isolated tornadoes.

The storm system is predicted to stick around through the evening and potentially overnight hours for the major cities in the northern Plains. This includes places such as Fargo and Bismarck in North Dakota and Pierre, South Dakota.

Friday will bring a renewed risk of storms for the same general region. However, these storms are expected to weaken when compared to Thursday's action. That said, the storm cells will still be capable of generating powerful winds and hail.

The risk of storms will continue to diminish as the weekend kicks off. We will update the weekend forecast in the coming days as the models become clearer.

U.S. Experiencing Worst Tornado Season in 14 Years

As of the end of June, the U.S. is experiencing its worst tornado season in 14 years. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had recorded 1,296 preliminary filtered tornado reports across the U.S. This is 338 more than the norm by the end of June. These figures put the year 2025 on top of every season in the last decade by this point in the season.

The bulk of the tornadic activity has come at the hands of a few widespread outbreaks. Not surprisingly, Texas leads the nation with 145 tornado reports. Illinois is close behind with 145 reports. Missouri clocks in at third place with 117, while Mississippi lands in fourth place with 101 reports.

Although the top four states have not changed since April came to a close, Texas inched up into first place this month. This is not surprising, as the Lone Star State generally ends the season in first place simply due to its size.

There have been some significant variances in the numbers in 2025 when compared to 2024. For instance, after confirming dozens of tornadoes last year, neither Wyoming nor Oregon has recorded any twisters this year. Similarly, Iowa has only recorded 16 tornadoes this year, compared to 118 in 2024.

Conversely, Mississippi has eclipsed the century mark already in 2025 despite only recording 25 tornadoes in 2024. It has been a similar situation in North Dakota with two tornadoes in 2024 before the start of July, compared to 34 already on the books for this year.

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