Severe thunderstorms to target Midwest, East with damaging winds into Tuesday
A central United States heat dome fuels a weekend-to-early-next-week surge of severe storms stretching from the northern Plains through the Midwest, Great Lakes, and into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Early rounds on Saturday bring isolated hail and wind gusts up to 65 mph, with a small tornado risk in parts of the Upper Midwest. As heat and humidity feed the system, the storms are expected to organize into larger complexes capable of damaging winds, flooding downpours, and hail, especially Sunday. The threat persists into Monday, with the greatest risk centered over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley and potential disruption to outdoor plans and travel along major corridors like I-95. A broader pattern suggests continuing severe weather risk into the midweek period, with the exact locations shifting hour to hour.
Dive Deeper:
The forecast covers the weekend into early next week, focusing on a corridor from northern Plains through the Midwest, Great Lakes and into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.
Saturday activity is expected to be widely separated across eastern Montana to South Dakota, with storms capable of hail and damaging winds reaching up to 65 mph; a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out in the Upper Midwest.
Sunday will see storms become more widespread as heat and humidity feed a more organized system, likely evolving into a mature complex of storms by evening across the Great Lakes region.
Expected hazards include damaging winds, flooding downpours, and hail, with the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ reaching 85 mph in the most intense bands.
On Monday the greatest risk shifts toward the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, with possible power outages from tree limbs being blown down and heavy rainfall affecting travel, especially later in the day.
Areas from Raleigh, North Carolina, to New York City along the I-95 corridor remain at risk for severe storms into Tuesday, potentially impacting travel and outdoor plans.