Overview
- The Storm Prediction Center on Tuesday expanded an Enhanced (Level 3 of 5) severe-weather risk over parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, covering major hubs like Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit.
- Forecasters flagged a corridor from eastern Iowa through northern Illinois into southern Wisconsin where discrete supercells could spin up strong, long-track tornadoes and drop hail as large as 2 to 3 inches.
- The highest danger is expected this evening into the overnight, with roughly 5 p.m. to midnight in Chicago and 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Detroit bringing 60 to 70 mph wind gusts, large hail and isolated tornadoes, and officials urge keeping phones charged with alerts on while people sleep.
- Flooding is an added concern where storms repeat over the same areas, with southeast Wisconsin already seeing 0.25 to 0.50 inches and forecasts calling for another 1 to 2 inches through Wednesday.
- About 125 million people face some level of risk today, more than 24 million are in the Enhanced zone, and forecasters expect additional rounds midweek before a late-week cooldown ends the early taste of summer.