Severe Threat Increases Today
Scattered severe thunderstorms on Wednesday could produce wind damage,hail and several tornadoes in the Midwest,especially from Illinois into Indiana.
While we don't expect severe weather to be nearly as widespread as last Friday's outbreak in parts of the region,it could still produce dangerous impacts in some areas. Therefore,you should pay attention to any watches or warnings issued by the National Weather Service for your area.
(MORE:14 Things You Should Know About Severe Weather)
What To Expect
A few severe thunderstorms produced quarter size hail early Wednesday in parts of Iowa. Early Wednesday afternoon,a tornado was sighted by multiple spotters southwest of Peoria,Illinois. Active watches and warnings,along with the current radar are shown in the map below.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a level 3 out of 5 risk for severe storms from parts of northern and central Illinois into far west-central Indiana.
Storms could also pose the risk of damaging winds,hail and at least an isolated tornado threat as far north as Chicago,and as far east as the rest of Indiana,western Ohio and southwest Michigan.
Exactly how intense the storms become is dependent on how much instability can build in the atmosphere,which is an uncertain factor given meager moisture.
Other more isolated storms might produce hail and gusty winds as far south as parts of Kentucky,Tennessee,Alabama and Mississippi.
Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with www.weathernow24.com for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with Weather Now 24 in the early 2000s.
