Midwest, Northeast face more rounds of heavy and severe storms

Drenching showers and, in some instances, damaging thunderstorms have been a nearly daily occurrence since last week amid hot and steamy air, and AccuWeather meteorologists say this pattern will persist into early week.

As heat in the East and cool conditions in the West trade places before the end of the month, AccuWeather meteorologists say there will be additional opportunities for severe thunderstorms to erupt from the Upper Midwest to the Northeast during the transition.

Hot conditions, combined with high humidity, can help lead to thunderstorm formation during the summer months, especially where there is terrain or subtle disturbances high up in the atmosphere that can result in rising air. This scenario has led to daily bouts of drenching showers and, in some instances, damaging thunderstorms across the northern and central Plains, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Northeast since early last week.

"So much rain has fallen in a zone from southwestern Minnesota to northeastern Nebraska, including northwestern Iowa and southeastern South Dakota, that multiple rivers are on the rampage," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ales Sosnowski said, "Several major rivers in the region, including the Big Sioux and South Fork of the Des Moines rivers, will be in major to record flood stage during the first few days of this week."

Parts of this region have received a month's worth of rain in two to three days and double the historical average of June rainfall. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, received 6.33 inches of rain in 72 hours from Thursday to Saturday, with 10.8 inches of rain so far in June. This puts June 2024 as the city's second-wettest month on record. The wettest June was in 2014, with 13.70 inches. The historical average rainfall for all of June in the southeastern South Dakota city is 4.23 inches.

Fronts slicing into the heat and humidity often give thunderstorms an extra boost of wind energy, increasing the likelihood of downed trees, power outages and even isolated tornadoes. AccuWeather experts say at least two fronts will cross the Midwest and Northeast into the middle of this week, setting the stage for more widespread severe thunderstorm risks.

Storms to pack a punch from Maine to Kentucky to close out the weekend before less humid air arrives

One of the fronts being tracked, which is marked by a push of drier, less humid air in its wake, was the impetus for Saturday's severe weather in the Great Lakes region. These storms brought damaging wind gusts, flash flooding, hail and even tornadoes, one of which reportedly moved through the town of Janesville, Wisconsin.

"The front with its much-needed relief from hot and humid weather will sweep through the Northeast into Monday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. "This transition will be preceded by a severe thunderstorm risk into Sunday night."

Into Sunday night, portions of New England and upstate eastern New York may face an elevated risk of tornadoes.

Locations from Maine to Kentucky may get hit with more than one round of thunderstorms to close out the weekend. Anyone spending time outside is encouraged to keep a close watch on the sky and utilize the exclusive MinuteCast® feature on the free AccuWeather app to track predicted start and stop times of showers and thunderstorms for their location.

"Since the thunderstorms will be erupting along a boundary separating hot, humid air with conditions that are less humid and more seasonable for late June, they will feature an added punch," Buckingham said.

Thunderstorms can pop up and gain strength quickly in the steamy conditions. Damaging wind gusts, hail and a few tornadoes are possible in the strongest storms.

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"As is the case with any thunderstorm, especially as activity tends to ramp up quickly during the afternoon hours, lightning often poses a significant risk to those spending time outdoors," Sosnowski warned on Friday of last week. "Experts advise if thunder can be heard, there is a risk of being struck by lightning if outside."

Lightning struck a tree at a home along a golf course in Cromwell, Connecticut, on Saturday afternoon. The bolt sent two people ot the hospital, according to the Associated Press.

There is the likelihood for a complex of severe thunderstorms to develop in Minnesota and roll southeastward for a few hundred miles Monday night. Should the complex evolve to its full potential, damaging winds could occur along a swath for hundreds of miles and may approach the Chicago area by Tuesday morning.

An area of high pressure will follow the front and bring a brief but welcome break from high humidity levels first across the Great Lakes region and interior Northeast on Monday and then the Interstate 95 corridor later Monday into Tuesday. Temperatures will fall closer to typical levels for late June.

Severe weather dangers to march southeastward during 1st half of this week

As the northeastern corner of the nation catches a break from intense heat and humidity, as well as stormy weather, the next front will be entering the North Central states on Monday and providing another trigger for feisty thunderstorms.

Motorists along interstates 29, 35, 90 and 94 could face thunderstorms packing strong winds, destructive hail and a tornado risk. Slower travel times are expected as downpours reduce visibility and create a heightened risk of hydroplaning.

As the front progresses southeastward, the risk of severe thunderstorms will follow suit. On Tuesday, severe thunderstorms can occur at least on a localized basis from part of the Great Lakes region to the central Plains. Chicago and Detroit are among some of the heavily populated metro areas that the thunderstorms could cross.

By the middle of the week, the severe weather threat will move into the East and put more than a dozen states at risk of storms packing hail, damaging wind gusts and flooding downpours. The risk of severe weather will increase over the Appalachians during the afternoon and evening. Locally severe storms may survive long enough to approach the I-95 corridor of the Northeast later at night.

Ahead of the front, heat and humidity will rebound across the Great Lakes and Northeast but will not have the staying power it has had in recent days.

"Behind this front, an extended stretch of more seasonable heat is anticipated heading into late this week," Buckingham said.

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