Wednesday’s storms will be more scattered than Tuesday’s derecho that stretched hundreds from the Plains to the Midwest. The widespread severe weather produced gusts of nearly 100 mph in South Dakota and hail larger than tennis balls in Nebraska. July is the nation’s second most active month for damaging thunderstorm winds, so it’s not that unusual for a derecho to form this time of year. Here’s what to expect from Wednesday through the weekend. Wednesday Two areas of strong storms are expected Wednesday: one across parts of the northern and central Rockies and Plains, and another from parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley into the Carolinas. Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the main threats. Thursday Two areas of scattered severe thunderstorms are possible Thursday: one across parts of the northern Rockies and Plains, and another from the lower Ohio Valley into the southern mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the main threats. Thunderstorms are expected to hit the Midwestern states after gusts hit South Dakota. FOX Weather Friday The biggest threat of scattered severe thunderstorms Friday will be across parts of the northern Rockies and Plains. Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the main concerns. Saturday An organized severe weather threat could develop Saturday night into Saturday night across the northern plains. Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats, but a few tornadoes are also possible. Tropical Storm Colin battered the Carolina coast with rain and gale-force winds over the July 4th weekend. NOAA via AP Sunday A continuation of Saturday night’s severe storms is expected Sunday from the northern plains into the Upper Midwest. Damaging winds and large hail are the main risks, although an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. For drought relief? High pressure associated with the massive heat wave across the central US will act as an effective barrier, with showers and thunderstorms tracking along its northern and eastern flanks this week. As a result, multiple rounds of storms could move into the same locations from the Plains to the mid-Atlantic in each of the next few days. By the end of the week, a large area of 3 to 5 inches of rain is possible, with isolated spots possibly reaching up to 8 inches. Some flash flooding is possible, especially in urban and poorly drained areas, but overall, the rain is expected to be very beneficial for two drought-stricken areas. “Lightning droughts” could affect the Midwest and Corn Belt states during the summer. Spencer Platt/Getty Images A “lightning drought” — which, as the name suggests, is the “rapid onset or intensification of drought” — is starting to develop in parts of the Midwest and Corn Belt states. Some locations there have seen almost no rain over the past two weeks and only between 30 and 50% of the average rainfall over the past 30 days. But that will change this week with expected rain and storms. Locally heavy rainfall is also expected to reach as far east as the Carolinas, where drought conditions are extending. The drought is most severe in the eastern parts of North and South Carolina. Drought conditions actually started there in February. Tropical Storm Colin brought some relief from the drought last weekend, especially in South Carolina, but rain this week will cover a much larger area.
