Due to record-high temperatures, there are a lot of severe thunderstorms happening right now. The threats are also getting stronger, putting big cities from Chicago to Nashville at risk as tornado season peaks across the country.
Parts of the central US were hit by severe thunderstorms on Wednesday. Tens of millions of people in the Midwest are in danger of more storms on Thursday. Some areas have already been hit by damaging wind gusts, hail, and tornadoes.
There is a good chance that a strong storm will happen on Friday, which is part of a stretch of bad weather that will last for a week.
Already, this year has been very busy for storms in the US. However, May is usually the busiest month of the year. The only seasons that were busier than this one were the record-setting 2011 season and last year’s very busy season.
What might happen in the next few days?
Big cities in the Midwest are in danger from dangerous weather. Thursday
Thursday morning, a storm moving across the central US caused rough weather in the Midwest later that afternoon and evening.
The Storm Prediction Center says that there is a level 3 out of 5 chance of strong thunderstorms for more than 20 million people in Minnesota, Michigan, and Indiana. This includes people in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago.
As clouds started to move around Thursday afternoon, at least nine tornadoes were seen in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
There was a lot of damage recorded in Dodge County, Wisconsin, from a group of storms that forced people to stay inside and avoid going outside, according to Sheriff Dale Schmidt.
In Juneau, one person was taken to the hospital with injuries, and the sheriff said there “may have been another minor injury or two.”
Schmidt said that many county roads and streets are closed because of trees and power lines that have fallen. In Juneau, several people were hurt, and the roof of at least one house fell off. It was safe for everyone inside to get out, he said.
Storms that are moving across Lake Michigan are now making their way into Michigan and far northern Indiana Thursday night.
Overnight, the biggest danger will be strong winds, and there is a chance that tornadoes will form inside the winds. After midnight, the storms should get weaker.
This week, these places have been baking in record-breaking July-like heat, which has given the atmosphere a lot of fuel for powerful storms.
As the storm moves through the afternoon, damaging winds are likely to get stronger. In the late evening, parts of Michigan and Indiana could feel gusts of up to 75 mph. From Minnesota and Wisconsin to parts of Missouri and Kentucky, a large area could get hail bigger than hen eggs.
Central Virginia is most likely to have storms with damaging wind gusts, lightning, and maybe even a tornado. Some stronger storms could also hit parts of North Carolina and Maryland.