Severe Weather Target Zone to Increase in Central U.S.

Another wave of severe weather is building across the central U.S. to close out the work week. The incoming storms will pack potential impacts ranging from high winds to hail to tornadoes. Here is a closer look at the anticipated timing of these incoming storms.

Thursday and Friday Lining Up to See Peak Severe Weather Impacts

The central U.S. enjoyed a brief respite from the severe weather train to start the week; however, the storms fired up again on Wednesday. This first wave of stormy conditions focused on northwestern Kansas and up into western and central Nebraska, a large swath of the Dakotas, and portions of northeastern Colorado and western Minnesota. A secondary threat of storms also set up in the Ohio Valley on Wednesday.

Thursday and Friday are expected to be the peak of the severe weather this time around. The zone of storms will expand its reach on Thursday, creeping across the Great Plains and into portions of the Mississippi Valley.

Forecasters are warning that the trajectory of the storms may shift in the days ahead. The slightest disturbance in the atmosphere will be able to generate volatile storms as the warm and moist air flows up from the Gulf in abundance. The stronger sunshine this time of the year will also serve as fuel for storms to come to life.

In addition to the impacts of large hail, frequent lightning strikes, and gusty winds, the most powerful storm cells will be capable of producing a tornado outbreak. It is always a good idea to check the radar and hourly forecast if storms are in the forecast for your area.

Thursday's storms are predicted to expand across an area measuring 2,000 miles, stretching from Oklahoma and into the south-central portions of Canada. The greatest concentration of storms will likely be from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska to the east into central and eastern Kansas, western Missouri, and the northeastern corner of Oklahoma. Cities that could get caught in the crosshairs of Thursday's severe weather impacts include Wichita and Omaha.

Kansas will be in the middle of the activity on Thursday as storms are expected to erupt in the afternoon and evening hours. It will be a breezy day with winds gusting up to 30 mph at times. You cannot rule out the threat of an isolated tornado in the overnight hours.