Severe weather threats on two fronts for Wednesday, with a possibility of strong tornadoes for the upper Midwest. Another storm front stretches from the Gulf to New York, while brutal heat shifts areas by the weekend.
Severe weather on two fronts, strong tornado threat to upper Midwest
Two separate severe weather fronts on Wednesday. The first is over the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region, with the second extending from the Gulf running parallel to the Atlantic and extending to New York.
In the upper Midwest, storms are likely in the morning and early afternoon, but are expected to strengthen into the late afternoon to evening hours as the storms move from west to east, the Weather Channel reported.
Upper Midwest: Strong tornado threat
A strong threat of tornadoes is a Level 4 severe weather risk over northeastern Iowa into southern, central, and eastern Wisconsin, according to the forecast from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). The storms will affect most of Wisconsin and large hail is likely, as are strong wind gusts in excess of 70 mph.
A Level 4 severe weather risk is defined as widespread severe and long-lived, intense storms with widespread wind damage, destructive hail, and strong tornadoes.
A Level 3 severe weather risk for the aforementioned areas, as well as southeastern Minnesota, northwestern Illinois, and northern Michigan.
A Level 2 severe weather risk includes the aforementioned areas as well as northeastern Missouri, Eastern Iowa, northwestern and northern Illinois, southeastern Minnesota, and northern and eastern Michigan.
Southeast and Mid-Atlantic: Extensive storm front
A level 2 severe weather risk for portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York, according to the SPC.
Thursday: More storms for Mid-Atlantic
On Thursday, the SPC is forecasting another Level 2 severe weather risk over portions of Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, as well as most of Pennsylvania and New York.
Brutal heat will shift areas by weekend
A huge swath of the nation has endured triple-digit, record-setting heat this week, but forecasts show that there may be a slight easing and reprieve in some areas by the weekend but temperatures will spike for others, the Weather Channel reports.
A strong dome of heat is parked over parts of the central US in the East, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue the following heat-related alerts for Wednesday:
Excessive heat warning: southern and southeastern California; northern, central, and southern Arizona; eastern Iowa; Illinois; southeastern Missouri; western Kentucky; Indiana; southern and southeastern Michigan; western central and southern Ohio; western West Virginia; northern and central Georgia.
Heat advisory for portions of Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, Western West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, northeastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi, Alabama, northern Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, southern North Carolina.
By Saturday, the heat will retreat back into the plains and southern latitudes, allowing temperatures to dip slightly for the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, as well as for northern parts of the West. However, on Sunday, Fargo will be 105, Omaha, 100, North Platte 105, in Dallas 100.
