SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — AccuWeather forecasters are warning that both severe thunderstorms and flooding will be in play through early this weekend as an active stretch of weather continues for the Midwest.
An area of low pressure moving along a front separating fall-like air across North Dakota and northern Minnesota from summertime heat farther south will be the impetus for thunderstorms to develop into Saturday.
With the front draped near the border of South Dakota and Nebraska, storms in much of South Dakota will have some risk for hail given the cooler air. Farther south, other hazards will exist.
“Damaging wind gusts and flooding will be the main threats from Iowa into Nebraska,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards.
Hail can also occur elsewhere, but the risk will not be as high as it is expected to be in South Dakota.
Not only can any individual storms produce flooding, but there will be the risk for more than one thunderstorm to affect any given area. Even though much of the area is in a severe to extreme drought according to the United States Drought Monitor, too much rain may fall too quickly and cause flooding.
On Thursday, the severe weather reports began rolling in. Trees were uprooted and downed, and power lines were also downed and in some instances snapped as strong winds tore through South Dakota and Minnesota. Wind gusts up to an estimated 70 mph were reported in Hand County, South Dakota, on Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Benson, Minnesota recorded a wind gust of nearly 80 mph.
The threat of severe weather is expected to be lower but not non-existent prior to the start of the weekend.
Areas from Omaha, Nebraska, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Houghton Lake, Michigan, will be at risk for locally severe storms into Friday night. The movement of storms from Thursday night may determine which areas are at risk for torrential downpours and strong wind gusts from Friday afternoon to Friday night.
An eastward-moving cold front combined with a disturbance in the jet stream could lead to a severe weather outbreak this weekend.
Yet again, much of Minnesota is expected to have thunderstorms from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night. Other locations such as Fargo, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Grand Island, Nebraska; will be at risk for flooding, hail, damaging wind gusts and even isolated tornadoes.
Most of the energy responsible for Saturday’s storms will lift northward into Canada by Sunday, but locally strong storms may still fire over part of the Great Lakes region.
Behind the cold front, near- to slightly below-normal temperatures are expected along with a dry end to the weekend in most areas hit by storms from Saturday. This will finally afford the region a chance to dry out after multiple days of drenching downpours and severe thunderstorms.
(By AccuWeather meteorologist, contributed this report.)
