CHICAGO — Millions of residents across the Upper Midwest are under tornado watches and severe weather warnings on Friday as a powerful storm system capable of producing intense tornadoes, giant hail, and damaging winds moves through the region.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that storms could develop from northwest Oklahoma through western Missouri and into the Upper Midwest on Friday afternoon and evening. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a “Moderate Risk” outlook for a large corridor stretching from Oklahoma and Kansas northeast through Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and into Michigan.
Approximately 51 million people are under threat from severe weather extending from Texas to Wisconsin, according to forecasts. The SPC issued Tornado Watch 129 at 12:40 p.m. CDT Friday for parts of central and eastern Iowa, northern and west-central Illinois, southeast Minnesota, far northeast Missouri, and central and southern Wisconsin, in effect until 8:00 p.m. CDT.
Meteorologists said atmospheric conditions are favorable for the development of supercell thunderstorms capable of producing strong to intense tornadoes, as well as hail stones potentially reaching baseball size.
“But there are more out there. We are going out to do storm surveys,” Mark Gehring, a meteorologist with the NWS in Milwaukee, said, following the confirmation of five tornadoes across southern and central Wisconsin from previous storms this week.
The severe weather follows days of extreme conditions across the region. From Monday through Wednesday, the NWS received more than 1,100 reports of large hail, wind gusts exceeding 60 mph, and tornadoes. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, police said a man died Wednesday evening after apparently being struck by lightning during heavy thunderstorms.
Officials advised residents in the warning areas to remain indoors and away from windows. The storm system is expected to shift eastward on Saturday, bringing threats of damaging winds and hail to parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, according to forecasts.
