Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Midwest faces tornado threat as Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins
Top weather news for Thursday, May 15, 2025: Severe storms will pack threats of strong tornadoes and destructive winds in Chicago, Milwaukee and other major Midwest cities this afternoon and evening. Meanwhile, today marks the start of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, and Texas continues to bake under a record-breaking heat dome.
Weather in America: May 15, 2025
FOX Weather has you covered with the breaking forecasts and weather news headlines for your Weather in America on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Get the latest from FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Thursday, May 15, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
Chicago, Milwaukee among cities threatened by storms packing strong tornadoes, hurricane-force wind gusts
A weeklong severe weather threat continues on Thursday as millions of people in major Midwest cities like Chicago and Milwaukee brace for powerful storms that could pack very large hail, hurricane-force wind gusts and strong tornadoes.
More than 87 million people from the Upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic will be at risk of severe weather on Thursday.
The threat is highest across portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, where NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has placed more than 20 million people under a Level 3 risk on its 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.
This Level 3 out of 5 risk includes cities such as Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee in Wisconsin, St. Paul in Minnesota and Fort Wayne in Indiana.
This graphic shows the severe weather threat on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
(FOX Weather)
Eastern Pacific hurricane season starting on a quiet note. What can that tell us about the Atlantic season?
The Eastern Pacific hurricane season officially started Thursday, but forecast models show no sign of tropical cyclone formation in the near future.
While this may appear unusual, it's not yet behind schedule. On average, the first named storm in the Eastern Pacific forms about June 10, and the first hurricane develops by June 26, according to statistics from the National Hurricane Center.
Forecasters do expect the Eastern Pacific to produce greater-than-average activity and be much more active than the 2024 season, which saw just 13 named storms, four hurricanes and three that reached major status with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Texas swelters under nation's hottest temperatures as potentially historic May heat wave peaks
The calendar only says May, but it's a figurative inferno in Central Texas this week with potentially historic levels of early-season heat in the forecast.
San Antonio reached 102 degrees on Wednesday, shattering the record of 97 degrees set in 2022. Austin, Houston and Oklahoma City also set record-high temperatures Wednesday. Texas will continue to bake on Thursday, with San Antonio expected to reach 106 degrees.
The heat will move into the Southeast on Friday and Saturday. That's when temperatures will start to cool a bit for the Lone Star State but will still likely remain in the 90s.
This graphic shows the forecast high temperatures on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
(FOX Weather)
Watch this: Terrifying moment sharks attack diver's camera in Australia sea caught on video
Two people diving off the coast of Australia in the Coral Sea on Monday had a shocking encounter with a group of sharks.
The incident was caught on video, as a diver held an underwater camera in the turquoise water.
In the video, which was posted on Monday, a shark approaches the diver as she swims around, minding her business.
Watch: Sharks attack diver's camera in Australian sea
A diver had a fright while diving in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland, Australia, when a group of sharks thought the camera she was holding was food. Thankfully, her diving partner was able to take the camera and the sharks lost interest.
Before you go
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