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At least three days of severe weather are forecast over the central US beginning on Wednesday, delivering the potential for flooding, rain, damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes from the Southwest to the Great Lakes.
Here are the latest weather alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) for Wednesday.
Severe thunderstorm warning: eastern and southeastern Iowa; western and northwestern Illinois; northeastern Missouri.
Flood warning: northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.
Red flag warning: southeastern California; southern Nevada; southern Utah; northwestern, northern, and eastern Arizona; New Mexico; Colorado; western Kansas; southwestern Nebraska.
High wind warning: Southern and eastern Utah; western Colorado.
High wind watch: Northwestern and central Montana; western, central and southern Wyoming.
Fire weather watch: northwestern Texas; Western Oklahoma; western Kansas; western Nebraska.
Two storm fronts will bring the potential of severe weather on Wednesday in the Southwest and southern plains, as well as in the north-central US, the Weather Channel reports. The threat will continue at least until Friday.
The most significant threats are flooding, rain, damaging winds, very large hail, and tornadoes.
On Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) of the NOAA issued warnings on two storm fronts over the central US, which are expected to ramp up around the prime time of late afternoon into the evening. The National Weather Service (NWS) is warning that heavy rain and flash flooding are possible over northeastern Nebraska, northwestern Iowa, eastern South Dakota, southeastern North Dakota, central and southern Minnesota, western and northwestern Wisconsin.
Storm front #1 is over the Southwest into the southern plains, where a Level 2 threat was issued for extreme western and northwestern Texas, eastern New Mexico, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and southwestern Kansas.
A Level 2 Severe Weather Risk is defined as scattered, isolated severe storms possible with the possibility of wind damage, large hail between 1-2 inches, and a low threat of 1-2 isolated tornadoes.
Storm front #2 is the north-central US, where an enhanced Level 3 threat was issued over northeastern Nebraska, Northwestern Iowa, eastern North Dakota, and southern and central Minnesota, into northwestern Wisconsin.
A Level 3 Severe Weather Risk is defined as numerous, widespread severe, and intense storms with the possibility of likely significant wind damage, large hail between 1-2 inches, and a few isolated tornadoes.
Another round of severe weather on Thursday in the country’s midsection, where a Level 3 severe weather risk for eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, eastern South Dakota, eastern North Dakota and throughout much of Minnesota. A risk of heavy rain and possible flash flooding stretches from western Montana across all of North Dakota into northwestern Minnesota.
The severe weather threat continues on Friday, as a cold front moves in and shifts the severe weather threat slightly eastward. A Level 2 severe weather risk for central and northern Oklahoma, throughout much of Missouri, southern and eastern Iowa, western and northwestern Illinois, southeastern Minnesota into southern Wisconsin.
