Tornado Watch underway for Plains with potential for 75 mph wind gusts, baseball-size hail
The action kicked off early Tuesday morning when severe thunderstorms plowed across Kansas, where a record 101-mph wind gust was reported in Wichita. The threat of tornadoes, damaging winds and giant hail continues into Tuesday night for parts of Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.
Severe thunderstorms blasting Plains, Midwest on Tuesday
Parts of Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska are facing potentially damaging winds and the threat of tornadoes on Tuesday. Later in the day, the primary threat will be damaging winds and hail for the Plains.
WICHITA, Kan. – Millions of people in the central U.S. are facing another potentially dangerous day of severe weather on Tuesday, one day after tornadoes blasted across portions of Minnesota and Nebraska in the Midwest.
The action kicked off early Tuesday morning when severe thunderstorms plowed across Kansas, where a record 101-mph wind gust was reported in Wichita.
On Tuesday night, the threat of damaging winds continues, with wind gusts up to 75 mph possible and baseball-size hail.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch, as well as numerous Flood Watches and Flash Flood Warnings, were also issued early on Tuesday morning.
By Tuesday afternoon, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch was in place for parts of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming through 5 p.m. MDT. A Tornado Watch is underway for southern Kansas, Northern Oklahoma and part of the Texas Panhandle through Tuesday night.
More severe weather is expected throughout the day on Tuesday across portions of the central Plains and into the Missouri Valley, which is farther south than where the storms were on Monday.
The FOX Forecast Center said a cold front will continue to plow across the region, and warm, humid air out ahead of it will help to fuel the development of thunderstorms.
Early on, a few isolated storms could grow strong enough to produce giant hail. As the day progresses, storms may group together into a line, increasing the threat for extreme wind gusts.
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NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) placed more than 1.3 million people in portions of south-central Kansas and north-central Oklahoma in a Level 4 threat on its 5-point severe thunderstorm risk scale.
This includes cities such as Wichita and Hutchinson in Kansas and Tulsa, Enid and Stillwater in Oklahoma.
More than 2 million people were placed in a Level 3 out of 5 threat from portions of Colorado through west-central Missouri, including cities like Broken Arrow in Oklahoma, Joplin in Missouri and Salina, Emporia and Dodge City in Kansas.
Watch: Giant tornado whirls next to rainbow in Nebraska
A large tornado was spotted spinning next to a rainbow in Dickens, Nebraska, on Monday. Video by Connor McCarty shows the towering vortex, with the rainbow adding to the shot.
A Level 2 out of 5 threat exists from Colorado and Wyoming through the central Plains into Wisconsin and Illinois.
This threat zone includes cities like Denver, Kansas City and Oklahoma City.
In the Mid-Atlantic, potential flooding rain will be the primary threat for south-central Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia. There is a rare moderate risk of excessive rainfall for Pittsburgh, Greenburgh and State College in Pennsylvania and in Wheeling and Morganstown, West Virginia. These areas experienced devastating flooding earlier in the week.
Indianapolis, Chicago in bull’s-eye for severe weather Wednesday
As we head into Wednesday, the same cold front responsible for Tuesday’s storms will push farther off to the east, putting cities like Indianapolis and Chicago on alert.
The FOX Forecast Center said that the severe weather threat on Wednesday will be conditional based on how much sun and surface heating can occur before the cold front arrives in the area.
Storms could turn severe during the morning hours associated with a mesoscale convective system (MCS) across the northern Midwest states that could also dampen the severe weather threat during the afternoon hours.
Watch: Tornado touches down in Minnesota
A video recorded in North Mankato, Minnesota, shows a tornado touching down in a field on Monday, June 16, 2025.
To the south of that, there will be plenty of storm energy, daytime heating and moisture in the atmosphere for powerful storms to develop during the afternoon hours.
There’s also a narrow window of opportunity for supercell thunderstorms to develop, and that threat may be maximized depending on how much wind shear will be available.
The SPC placed more than 10 million from Missouri to Michigan in a Level 3 out of 5 threat on Wednesday, including for those in cities such as Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Toledo in Ohio.
More than 38 million people from Oklahoma to the Great Lakes have been placed in a Level 2 threat, including Oklahoma City, Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit.
Large hail and damaging wind gusts are the main concerns, but tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
New York City, Philadelphia on alert for storms on Thursday
By Thursday, tens of millions of people along the Interstate 95 corridor from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast and New England will be on alert for severe weather on Thursday.
The FOX Forecast Center said some rain and storms are possible on Wednesday, but the main event kicks off on Thursday.
An area of low pressure is expected to move into the lower Great Lakes region and upper Ohio Valley, pushing a cold front into the Northeast and through the central Appalachians.
Watch: Dangerous storm slams Minnesota city with powerful winds, heavy rain
A video recorded in St. Cloud, Minnesota, shows a powerful thunderstorm racing across the city with damaging wind gusts and torrential rain on Monday, June 16, 2025.
The atmosphere is expected to become unstable Thursday ahead of the cold front, setting the stage for scattered thunderstorms to develop. At this time, damaging winds appear to be the greatest threat from storms that develop.
The SPC placed about 54 million people from North Carolina to the U.S.-Canada border in northern New England in a Level 2 out of 5 threat.
Major cities in the region, like New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, are all in the threat zone.