Thunderstorms To Hit The Midwest In The Midst Of Mother’s Day Weekend

Fans wait out a weather delay in the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Akron Zips at Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. STEVEN BRANSCOMBE/ACCUWEATHER

As Mother’s Day weekend gets underway, AccuWeather forecasters say some folks with outdoor plans across the central United States will need to keep an eye on the sky for disruptive weather. As celebrations for mothers and mother figures alike take place, as mother nature will have plans of her own.

AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking a storm that will bring daily pockets of severe thunderstorms from the nation’s midsection to parts of the Ohio Valley through Sunday. Farther south, a significant flood threat will take shape over a wide swath of Texas.

“A warm and humid air mass is in place across much of the Midwest,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. “As the energy in the atmosphere interacts with this warm and soupy air mass, it will provide the spark and fuel the storms need to transform into severe storms.”

Friday’s severe weather threat is shaping up to be the most widespread of the weekend – outside of Texas.

Storms will rumble to life later Friday afternoon across portions of Nebraska and push eastward through the nighttime hours.

The greatest risk of damaging storms will center around the border between Nebraska and Iowa, forecasters say. Anyone in the area, especially folks in cities like Omaha, Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa, will need a reliable way to receive weather warnings before storms arrive. COURTESY/ACCUWEATHER

Risks as a result of Friday’s storms include hail, isolated tornadoes, heavy downpours and damaging wind gusts.

By Saturday, the risk of disruptive weather will shift eastward and include a bit more of the Midwest.

Storms can deliver hail and damaging wind gusts across portions of Iowa, Missouri and Illinois from Saturday afternoon through the evening hours.

Wind gusts in any feisty storms on Saturday will generally be between 55 and 65 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 75 mph.

As Mother’s Day arrives on Sunday, the threat of severe thunderstorms will push through the Midwest and into parts of the Ohio Valley. COURTESY/ACCUWEATHER

“If you are making outdoor plans, you’ll want to stay weather aware in places such as Louisville and Evansville, Indiana,” Pydynowski said.

Any outdoor lunch plans may be jeopardized in places like Indianapolis, while dinner plans could be threatened in cities such as Cincinnati.

Storms could impact motorists traveling along interstates 64, 70 and 75, according to Pydynowski. COURTESY/ACCUWEATHER

Any storms have the potential to produce heavy downpours, hail and damaging wind gusts. While an isolated tornado looks to be unlikely in this area on Sunday, the chance for a twister to spin up is not zero.

After storms roll across the central U.S. this weekend, AccuWeather forecasters say drier conditions are in store for the start of the traditional workweek.

A shift in the jet stream is expected to help facilitate this change and confine abundant moisture to the Southern states.

Produced in association with AccuWeather