Indianapolis, Chicago on alert for storms packing damaging winds, large hail, possible tornadoes Wednesday
A Tornado Watch was issued for more than 5 million people in parts of Illinois and Missouri until 4 p.m. CT. The Tornado Watch includes cities such as St. Louis and Cape Girardeau in Missouri, and Quincy, Springfield and Champaign in Illinois.
Chicago, Indianapolis on alert for storms before Northeast sees severe weather threat Thursday
More powerful storms are expected to sweep across the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley on Wednesday before millions of people in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and New England see a severe weather threat on Thursday. FOX Weather Meteorologists Craig Herrera and Zack Green break down the forecast on June 18, 2025.
INDIANAPOLIS – Severe weather is expected to develop across the central U.S. from the Midwest to the Great Lakes region on Wednesday, putting millions of people in cities like St. Louis, Indianapolis, Chicago and Detroit on alert for powerful storms that could be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail and even some tornadoes.
(FOX Weather)
The action kicked off late Wednesday morning when a Tornado Watch was issued for more than 5 million people in parts of Illinois and Missouri until 4 p.m. CT.
The Tornado Watch includes cities such as St. Louis and Cape Girardeau in Missouri, and Quincy, Springfield and Champaign in Illinois.
This renewed risk comes after extreme weather tore across the Plains and Midwest over the past few days, producing tornadoes in Minnesota and Nebraska, while a record-breaking 101-mph wind gust was reported in Wichita, Kansas.
And the severe weather threat is expected to continue for the rest of the week, putting the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England on alert by Thursday.
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The FOX Forecast Center said that the same cold front responsible for producing severe weather over the past few days is continuing to barrel across the U.S., and that’s what is fueling the threat on Wednesday.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has zeroed in on the Midwest and Ohio Valley, which is where the highest risk for storms is forecast to occur.
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More than 15 million people in cities like Indianapolis and Fort Wayne in Indiana, Toledo and Dayton in Ohio and Louisville in Kentucky are under a Level 3 risk of severe weather on the SPC’s 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.
More than 38 million people from Texas to Michigan have been placed in a Level 2 out of 5 threat, including cities like Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and St. Louis.
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Washington, New York City face severe weather risk Thursday
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While parts of the mid-Atlantic, including Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, will see the threat of severe weather on Wednesday, a larger threat exists along the Interstate 95 corridor on the East Coast on Thursday.
More than 62 million people from North Carolina to the U.S.-Canada border in Maine were placed in a Level 2 out of 5 threat for Thursday.
This includes cities like Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Richmond in Virginia, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford in Connecticut and Burlington in Vermont.
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The main threats from storms that develop on Thursday will be damaging wind gusts and hail.
However, there is also a low chance of tornadoes from northern Virginia into the Hudson Valley of New York state and into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in northern New England.