Severe thunderstorms to march across north-central US through Wednesday

By Brett Rathbun, AccuWeather meteorologist

Following severe thunderstorms across the northern Rockies and northern Plains on Monday, the threat for damaging storms will shift eastward over the north-central United States through midweek.

A storm system marching eastward across the northern tier of the country will be responsible for these rounds of severe weather as it taps into a warm and humid air mass.

"Damaging wind gusts, large hail, torrential downpours and even a couple of tornadoes will be possible with the rounds of severe weather both Tuesday and Wednesday," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.

The threat for hail and an isolated tornado will be greatest at the onset of thunderstorm development. Once the thunderstorms merge into a squall line, flooding downpours and gusty winds will become the primary threats.

Thunderstorms will generally be in a weakening stage during the overnight hours.

Into Tuesday night, locations at risk for damaging thunderstorms include Bismarck and Fargo, North Dakota; Rapid City and Aberdeen, South Dakota; North Platte and Omaha, Nebraska; Sioux City, Iowa; and Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minnesota.

While likely not severe, heavy rainfall on the north side of this system can raise a flash flood threat from northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota into southern portions of central Canada, including Winnipeg.

Those traveling along interstates 29, 80, 90 and 94 will want to be on alert for rapidly changing weather conditions during Tuesday afternoon. Reduce speeds in heavy downpours to limit the risk of hydroplaning.

By Wednesday, the threat will orient from the upper Great Lakes into the Missouri Valley.

Thunderstorms are expected to form along a line from the western half of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to southwestern Missouri, during the afternoon hours and shift eastward during the evening and overnight.

The Wednesday afternoon commute in Chicago and St. Louis could stay dry as storms are likely to arrive closer to sunset. Storms may not reach Indianapolis and the western suburbs of Detroit until after dark.

Green Bay, Wisconsin; the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa; Columbia, Missouri; South Bend, Indiana; and Marquette and Grand Rapids, Michigan, are just some of the other metro locations at risk for these storms.

"With Lake Michigan warming up, thunderstorms can hold on to their intensity when passing over the lake and bring a damaging wind threat to Lower Michigan Wednesday evening," Buckingham said.

Travel will become difficult across portions of interstates 55, 80, 90 and 94 during the afternoon and evening hours.

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Anyone outdoors when severe weather strikes should find the nearest shelter to take cover. No open area outdoors is safe during a thunderstorm.

Download the AccuWeather app to monitor when severe weather will approach your area.

A dry and less humid air mass will arrive the day after the threat for severe weather ends. However, the hot and humid air will return by the end of the week. Luckily, the threat for any widespread severe weather late this week across the North Central states is low.

As this storm shifts eastward on Thursday, the threat for a few strong-to-severe thunderstorms could impact parts of the Appalachians and Northeast.

Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.