The US National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center issued a warning early Tuesday morning that parts of the Midwest could be hit by destructive hail, high winds, and strong tornadoes, leading to potentially severe thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes reaching at least EF2 strength (111-135 mph).
It is expected that more severe thunderstorms will occur within a 1500-mile range from Texas to western New York on Wednesday. Any storm could bring damaging winds and hail, with the possibility of tornadoes, mainly concentrated between Texas and Kentucky.
The Storm Prediction Center stated that over 25 million people are under a level three or four (out of five) severe thunderstorm risk. While strong storms were already moving through parts of the Midwest on Tuesday morning, the more dangerous storms are anticipated to form during the day.
The storms are expected to peak in strength during the afternoon and continue into the Tuesday night.
The highest-risk areas are concentrated in much of Iowa, northwestern Illinois, northern Missouri, southwestern Wisconsin, and southeastern Minnesota.
By Tuesday afternoon and evening, hurricane-force winds with speeds up to 90 mph may sweep through the region. These strong winds could damage trees and power lines, posing a threat to the power supply.
Des Moines, Iowa is a hotspot for the strongest storms and potential tornadoes, but Chicago, Milwaukee, and other densely populated areas also face the risk of destructive storms.
Flash flooding triggered by heavy rainfall also poses a threat to parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska, with flood warnings issued in these areas. Rainfall amounts in some areas could reach 1 to 3 inches, while total rainfall in certain places could reach up to 5 inches.
In the past week, severe storms have repeatedly swept across the US, including last Thursday’s hurricane-force storm that hit Houston, Texas, leading to at least four deaths and nearly 900,000 homes losing power in hot weather conditions.
According to data from PowerOutage.us, as of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, there were still over 140,000 homes and businesses in Harris County without power.
This week, a dangerous heatwave is spreading through southern Texas and is expected to reach the central Gulf Coast region over the weekend.
The most severe temperatures are forecasted to hit the Houston area starting from the weekend. Memorial Day (May 27) could be the hottest day of the year so far in the city, as per the National Weather Service.
The heat index is a measure of how hot it feels to the human body, and during most of the workweek, afternoon heat indexes are expected to rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, occasionally reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat index over the weekend could reach 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
A statement from power provider CentrePoint on Monday, as reported by CNN, mentioned that power restoration work in Harris County is expected to be “mostly completed” by Wednesday night.