Multi-day severe storm threat to batter central US for days

By Meteorologist Chris Dolce, CNN

(CNN) — A full week of dangerous weather is looming for the central US, with multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms that will unleash destructive hail and winds and potentially a few tornadoes.

About a dozen states from Texas to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes will see a threat of severe storms on one or more days through Friday. The threat zone will shift each day depending on where surges of jet stream energy overlap with warm, humid air to trigger intense thunderstorm development.

The barrage of storms will also raise flooding concerns, especially where rivers are already running high in water-logged northern Michigan and northern Wisconsin.

Timing the severe storms

Southern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, including the Twin Cities, are in the corridor where Monday’s most intense severe storms are expected to fire up by late afternoon.

Hail the size of golf balls or even baseballs is the biggest concern, which could dent cars, shatter windshields and damage roofs. The storms could also produce a few tornadoes and winds strong enough to down trees and power lines.

Tuesday could have the most widespread number of severe storms. The storm threat zone spans from West Texas into Oklahoma and the Great Lakes.

Chicago, Milwaukee and Des Moines, Iowa, are under a Level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms that includes more than 14 million people.

The supercell thunderstorms that fire up in this corridor by late afternoon could have damaging hail the size of limes or bigger. A few tornadoes are also possible and they have the potential to be strong — rated EF2 or higher.

Strong winds capable of knocking out power and damaging or even uprooting trees are also possible as the storms blast eastward into the evening across Michigan and northern parts of Ohio and Indiana.

Wednesday is expected to bring yet another round of strong storms, but Tuesday’s leftover storms could affect how potent the threat becomes — the longer they stick around, the less time the sun has to heat the air and provide energy for new storms. Either way, wind damage and hail appear to be the biggest concerns rather than tornadoes.

And that’s not the end of this daily onslaught.

One more surge of jet stream energy will fire up a final round of potent thunderstorms on Friday, especially from Oklahoma to Iowa, but it’s too soon to determine how big of a punch they will pack.

The storm-weary central US will finally get a breather over the weekend because of a weather pattern change that will also usher in a temperature drop.

Flooding woes hit the Great Lakes

Flood watches are in effect for northern parts of Wisconsin and Michigan where multiple rounds of rainfall this week could aggravate ongoing river flooding and send more rivers surging.

Flash flood warnings are in effect following water releases from the Tippy Dam on the Manistee River and the Mio Dam on the Au Sable River in northern Michigan. Locations downstream from both dams “should be prepared for flooding,” the alerts said.

The Muskegon River near Evart, Michigan, is forecast hit major flood stage — 14 feet — by Wednesday. Subdivisions along the the river upstream from the town would see major flooding at that level and it could trigger “significant evacuations,” according to the National Weather Service.

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