Tornadoes and Hail Threaten the Mississippi Valley

The cluster of thunderstorms that impacted the northern Plains on Thursday is going to migrate to the south on Friday, bringing a portion of the mid-Mississippi Valley into the line of fire. Read on for more information about where the storms will ignite as the work week comes to a close.

Friday Shaping Up to Be a Stormy Day for the Mississippi Valley

The last day of July is going to go out with a bang across parts of the Mississippi Valley as potentially damaging thunderstorms roam the region, packing high winds, heavy rain, and hail. Forecasters are warning that some of the most volatile storms could produce tornadoes, similar to the severe weather that spun up across the Upper Midwest on Monday.

The primary weather maker impacting the central U.S. is forecast to dip to the southeast across northern Iowa and Illinois throughout the day Friday. This movement will put the greatest risk of severe weather across southeastern Iowa to the south into eastern Oklahoma, southern Arkansas, and the western edge of Mississippi.

A number of major metro areas could get caught up in the crosshairs of these storms. For instance, St. Louis is forecast to see morning rain showers evolve into thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours. It will be a breezy day with winds out of the south-southeast at 10 to 15 mph with the possibility of higher gusts. Temperatures will top out at about 80 degrees for a high due to the thick cloud cover, while overnight lows will bottom out in the upper 60s.

The capital city of Springfield, Missouri, will also wake up to dreary conditions with morning rain showers. Some sunshine is possible in this part of the state by the afternoon hours, bringing the temperatures up into the low 90s during the peak heating hours. It will be windier in the southwestern corner of Missouri, with winds out of the south-southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Other cities that should prepare for unsettled conditions on Friday include Little Rock, Memphis, and Tulsa. Saturday's storms will shift into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.