NWS Warns 'Severe Weather' Is Coming for Two U.S. Regions
The National Weather Service (NWS) is telling residents across multiple regions of the United States to prepare for potentially "severe" weather on Tuesday.
Several states will be impacted, according to the latest map data from Weather.gov.
Which areas will be affected?
The NWS says the "Mid Mississippi Valley across the Ohio Valley and southern Great Lakes" is at risk of "scattered severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts and large hail" Tuesday, while western Oklahoma and northwest Texas could see "isolated severe storms capable of large hail and damaging gusts."
The first forecast covers parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and western New York, with those aforementioned territories in Oklahoma and Texas comprising the second forecast.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued in three states
Per the NWS Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan are under a "Severe Thunderstorm Watch" until 5 p.m. CT tonight.
Counties included in this watch are:
- Illinois: Cook, DeKalb, Dupage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle, Lee, Livingston, Will.
- Indiana: Adams, Allen, Benton, Blackford, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Newton, Noble, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White, Whitley.
- Michigan: Berrien, Branch, Cass, Hillsdale, St. Joseph.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning in effect in other locations
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is the NWS' most urgent storm-related alert, and one is in place in areas of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin throughout Tuesday.
"Severe weather has been reported by spotters or indicated by radar. Warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property. Take shelter in a substantial building. Get out of mobile homes that can blow over in high winds. Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a large hail or damaging wind identified by an NWS forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm," the NWS website urges.
Be prepared
While these storms are projected to include rain and strong winds as opposed to heavy snow, it's worth taking a look at Men's Journal's guide to winter storm safety to see what tips you can use should you live in one of the areas listed in these watches/warnings.
You can find that guide here.