Overview
- Following Tuesday’s tornadoes and giant hail in the Upper Midwest, forecasters on Wednesday placed a broad corridor under a Level 2 out of 5 severe risk that covers parts of North Texas, the Southern Plains, the Midwest and the Ohio Valley.
- Tornadoes were confirmed in southern Minnesota and near Gilman, Wisconsin, with injuries and structural damage reported in Kansas, and more than 70,000 customers still without power early Wednesday as National Weather Service survey teams assess tracks in places like Ottawa, Kansas.
- Storms are expected to redevelop this afternoon and evening with large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain and isolated tornadoes, with local forecasts highlighting peak windows roughly between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. from Kansas City through southern Wisconsin to Ohio.
- River and small‑stream flood risk remains elevated in the Upper Great Lakes as heavy rain falls onto rapid snowmelt, and Michigan has declared an emergency at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam and added pumps to move water toward Lake Huron.
- Looking ahead, forecasters flag additional severe rounds into Friday, including an Enhanced (Level 3) risk from north of Oklahoma City through Kansas City to Des Moines, while separate light rain in San Antonio left the Edwards Aquifer in Stage 4 drought with water use limits still in place.