Weird Northern Heat Wave, Wildfires Now Giving Way To Widespread Tornados/Severe Weather In The U.S.

After a sort of quiet first half of May in the severe weather
department, things ramp up in the nation starting today.
Areas in yellow and especially orange are at risk
for tornadoes and destructive storms today. 

No rest for the weary in the United States when it comes to active, dangerous weather.

The giant, bonkers, record shattering heat wave in the northern Plains, western Great Lakes and south central Canada is mercifully ending. 

Those giant forest fires in Minnesota that resulted from that arid, windy weather should get tamped down somewhat by much cooler weather and more than a half inch of rain expected today and tomorrow. 

But the price of that is steep. We're about to embark on about a week of tornadoes, destructive hailstorms, severe thunderstorms and flooding that will hit various parts of the nation. 

March and April had a near record number of tornadoes in the United States. As we entered the peak of the severe weather season in May, we were fortunate to get a sort of break, 

True, there were tornadoes and severe thunderstorms and brutal hailstorms so far this month, but there were no mega-outbreaks of tornadoes or multi-day strings of severe weather in the first half of May.

Still, we've had 758 tornadoes through May 13 compared to the average of 613 through that date. In the past 15 years, only 2011 and 2024 had had more tornadoes through mid-May in the United States.

Those relatively calm days of early May are over. Starting today, tornadoes, giant hail and destructive storms will be in the news for at least a week.

If Ma Nature plays her cards right, or more accurately, wrong, the tornado count for the season will get a big boost over the next few days. 

TODAY

The dangerous weather today will cover a broad area centered on the Great Lakes, and they'll hit populated areas, too. Cities most at risk for destructive thunderstorms and tornadoes today include Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Wisconsin and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

There's a chance that some tornadoes in or more likely near these cities could be strong and long lasting. In other words, the damage could be worse had a barn roof flying off and a couple trees toppling over. We'd better hope the stronger tornadoes remain over rural areas 

TOMORROW

The risk of tornadoes and severe weather on Friday is just as great as today, it's just shifted south to the Ohio Valley. Cities most at risk Friday include Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, Louisville and St. Louis. 

NEXT FEW DAYS

The weather traffic will be busy in the U.S. for the next few days with storms and disturbances moving generally west to east across the nation. These storms will feed on the contrast between record and near record heat in the far south and chilly air to the north, 

The tornado threat will shift depending the day,  but will focus mostly in traditional Tornado Alley -- the Plains states.  NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has a tornado threat in that general region daily Saturday through Tuesday.  

VERMONT EFFECTS

Once again, through all this rough national weather, we in the Green Mountain State will lead a charmed life.  But that doesn't mean conditions here will stay nice, We've got rain, thunderstorms, clouds, and eventually much chillier air coming in. 

There's even a low chance of severe storms and a little flooding through this,  But luckily, so far it looks like we're avoiding a calamity.

The sunny, warm weather we've had in Vermont this week is all but over. Though today won't be so bad, with a fair amount of sun mixed with the clouds and just a slight chance of a widely scattered afternoon or evening shower or thunderstorm. 

Starting today and continuing tomorrow, it will be a bit more humid than we're used to. Kind of like summer,

Friday will be a truly summery day with highs in many places getting into the low 80s and again, it will be on the humid side. Showers and thundershowers will develop in the afternoon and continue into the evening, They'll be much more numerous than they will be today, so most of us will get wet. 

Enjoy that summer warmth and humidity tomorrow, as that will be the last time you feel it for a long while. We're shifting into a cool, unsettled pattern that should last until at least toward the end of the month. 

And guess what? Saturday will be rainy, which will be the eighth wet Saturday in a row. It'll be the most interesting day of the week, too. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has Vermont in a marginal risk for isolated severe storms. NOAA also has us in a marginal risk for excessive rain and flooding. 

Those are the lowest of the alert levels. If severe storms do develop, they will be isolated and short-live. Same is true if we see any flooding.  Any high water would be in just a handful of places and should be minor. At least as it looks now.  If there's updates to this, we of course will pass that along. 

Starting Sunday, daily highs in Vermont will only be in the 50s and 60s for the foreseeable future.