Northern US faces one-two punch of powerful storms Friday
Early-morning storms could spell trouble for cities such as Minneapolis, while places in Montana and North Dakota face the risk of additional storms Friday evening.
Northern Plains, Upper Midwest face rounds of severe weather
FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar outlines the potential for severe storms across the northern tier of the U.S. on Friday.
MINNEAPOLIS – Two rounds of severe weather are expected to play out across the northern tier of the country Friday.
The first will be from storms that develop late Thursday and rip across North Dakota and Minnesota before moving into the Great Lakes region. This will likely mean a terrible morning commute in Minneapolis as storms could pack high winds, heavy rain and lots of lightning.
TORNADO DAMAGE SEEN IN OHIO VALLEY AS DERECHO KNOCKS OUT POWER TO NEARLY HALF A MILLION
FILE - Lightning strikes on May 15, 2018.
(Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post / Getty Images)
The second comes Friday evening as more storms develop from Montana into Minnesota. They are expected to continue through the overnight hours, eventually arriving in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Bismarck and Fargo, the largest cities in North Dakota, are among the places inside a Level 3 out of 5 risk zone highlighted by NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Minneapolis is included in the Level 2 zone that stretches from Montana into Michigan.
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(FOX Weather)
According to the FOX Forecast Center, there is some uncertainty in the forecast. The questions center on whether the so-called atmospheric cap will break and allow storms to develop.
All modes of severe weather are possible with any severe storms that form. However, the primary concerns will be damaging winds and large hail.
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(FOX Weather)
The storms are riding around the edge of a sprawling area of high pressure that is behind a heat dome moving across the U.S. through the weekend.