Severe thunderstorms are forecast in parts of the Plains and Midwest through Saturday, continuing an active stretch since early March into the typically dangerous month of April.
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Happening Now
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued the following severe weather watches:
- A tornado watch has been issued for parts of western Illinois, southern Iowa and northern Missouri until 10 p.m. CDT.
- A tornado watch has been issued for parts of central Illinois and central Indiana until 10 p.m. CDT.
- A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of eastern Kansas, western Missouri, central and northeastern Oklahoma and north Texas until 10 p.m. CDT. This watch area includes Kansas City and Oklahoma City.
The Forecast
There exists two different focuses for a tornado threat this evening.
- One extends eastward from eastern Iowa into central Illinois (and possibly into Indiana) where supercells along the warm front. A few of these strong thunderstorms could make it into Chicagoland by midnight with fading severe threats. Some flooding is also possible across Illinois and Indiana given repeated rounds of storms there since early March.
- A second area, a squall line along the cold front, will be move quickly eastward and will be draped from eastern Iowa to northwest Arkasnas by midnight with the threats of damaging winds, hail and some tornadoes.
A threat of at least a few severe thunderstorms could extend into theEaster holiday weekendahead of the cold front from the Midwest, Northeast and lower Mississippi Valley Saturday to parts of the East Coast on Easter Sunday.
Overall, though, the severe threat should be much lower this weekend than we've seen the past couple of days.
(MAPS:7-Day US Rain/Snow Forecast)
Flash Flood Threat, Too
While swaths of the Plains and Midwest are currently indrought, these repeated rounds of thunderstorms could also trigger areas of flash flooding, particularly in areas that have been soaked repeatedly over the past 1-2 weeks.
That includes parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Plains.
Be Prepared
There are steps you can take to stay safe in severe weather:
1. Know where to seek safe shelter when severe weather strikesbeforethe storm. If you live in a manufactured home, the safest place is probably either a designated community shelter or the closest building, such as a church, industrial building or any building with reinforced concrete.
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2. Have multiple ways of receiving official National Weather Service watches and warnings, including from yourphoneandNOAA weather radio. Make sure your devices are fully charged in case you lose power and alerts are turned on to wake you up at night.
3. Seek safe shelterimmediatelywhen you receive a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning for your area.
4.Never drive into floodwaters. You could be carried away and the road underneath could have been washed away.
(MORE:14 Severe Weather Tips That Can Save Your Life)
Severe Recap
Tuesday, severe thunderstorms with wind gusts up to 75 mph rumbled across the southern Great Lakes from northern Indiana to western Pennsylvania and New York. Trees were downed in several areas, some on homes.
Three weak tornadoes were confirmed, including EF1s in Cattaraugus County, New York and near Hicksville, Ohio. A brief EF0 was also confirmed near Apple Creek, Ohio.
In total, there were over 90 wind reports and over 40 large hail reports Tuesday and Tuesday night.
Flash flooding was reported in parts of the Cleveland metro area, and basements were flooded in Austintown and Lowellville, Ohio.
Wednesday's severe thunderstorms were scattered from Delaware to eastern New Mexico. Hail up to the size of tennis balls was seen in Blaine County, Oklahoma. Roof damage was reported in Snyder, Texas, and wind gusts from 70 to 75 mph were clocked in a few areas between Lubbock and Wichita Falls. Flash flooding was reported overnight in parts of western Missouri south of Kansas City. There were around 60 damaging wind reports and over 20 large hail reports.
Severe thunderstorms erupted across parts of the Midwest on Thursday.
One long-livedsupercell thunderstormapparently spawned several tornadoes across parts of eastern Iowa, south and east of Iowa City, to near the Mississippi River north of Davenport.
Significant damage, also from an apparent tornado, was reported near Dixon, Illinois. Trees were downed on homes in Parke County, Indiana, and hail larger than baseballs was reported near Martinsburg, Iowa, and Thomson, Illinois.
Storm Fatigue
It has been yet another active March for severe weather in the U.S., including parts of the Midwest.
On March 6, four tornadoes struck southern Michigan, including an EF3 in Branch County, killing three, an EF2 in Three Rivers and an EF1 tornado that claimed a life in Cass County.
Four days later, a lone supercell spawned 12 tornadoes across northeast Illinois into northwest Indiana, including the EF3 Kankakee, Illinois, tornado, which killed three.
Then on March 15, another 17 tornadoes were confirmed across central and southern Illinois.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has received 196 reports of and confirmed tornadoes in March, almost double the 20-year average of March twisters (104).
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him onBluesky,X (formerly Twitter)andFacebook.