Severe Storms Expected from Plains to Northeast Through Friday

A heat dome is expanding across the central and northern United States, bringing life-threatening temperatures while interacting with cooler northern air. The setup, described as a "Ring of Fire," is expected to produce severe storms from the Central Plains through the Great Lakes and into the Northeast through Friday.

Storms began Tuesday in portions of Upstate New York and New England, knocking down trees and power lines. Strong southerly winds are carrying intense heat and tropical moisture northward, creating conditions for explosive thunderstorm development along the edge of the heat dome.

Wednesday brings a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk for the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, including areas around Minneapolis and Green Bay. Wind gusts exceeding 85 mph are possible from Minnesota across the Great Lakes into northern Michigan, with isolated tornadoes possible in southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin.

In the Northeast, storms are expected to produce damaging wind gusts along parts of the I-95 corridor on Wednesday. Thursday is forecast to bring renewed severe storms to the Upper Midwest that track southeastward, with damaging winds again the primary hazard.

Repeated rounds of rain over the same areas raise the risk of localized flash flooding. A Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk is in effect through Saturday across the Plains and Upper Midwest, with 2 to 3 inches of rain expected and isolated amounts possibly exceeding 3 inches.