The same storm system that buried Colorado’s mountain passes and sent Front Range temperatures crashing into the teens overnight is now driving a dangerous severe weather outbreak across the central and eastern United States. From the Plains to the Great Lakes and into western New York, today’s threat includes tornadoes, wind gusts up to 60 mph, large hail, and major river flooding — while Colorado begins a rapid recovery.
Severe Weather: Where the Threat Is Now
AccuWeather meteorologists have placed a high risk of severe weather from central Arkansas to southwestern Ontario today, including much of Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and southwestern New York, with damaging wind gusts and hail the primary threats.
Friday night was the most dangerous window, targeting southeastern Minnesota, eastern Iowa, northwestern Illinois, and southwestern to central Wisconsin. Cities including Topeka, Kansas City, the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Madison all saw elevated threat. Late in the evening, storms organized into a squall line producing widespread wind gusts.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty warned: “Make sure your cell phone is charged, notifications are turned on, and you have multiple ways to get warnings that can wake you in the middle of the night. Never depend solely on outdoor tornado sirens, especially at night.”
By Sunday, the severe weather peak will have passed for most areas, though gusty thunderstorms may extend from the northern Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast. Much of the Southeast is in serious need of rainfall amid long-term drought and elevated wildfire danger.
Western New York: Storms Arrive Today
Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany are all in the storm’s path today. NWS Buffalo has confirmed showers and thunderstorms arriving Saturday into Saturday night ahead of a cold front, with damaging wind gusts as the primary threat and an isolated tornado possible. Keep alerts enabled tonight, and do not rely on outdoor sirens as your only warning source.
Flooding: Upper Midwest
Moderate to major flooding is ongoing and not resolving quickly. The Muskegon and Grand rivers in Michigan and the Shiocton, Menominee, and Wolf rivers in Wisconsin are at or approaching major flood stage, with some expected to crest at record levels and remain above flood stage for a week or more. Minor flooding along the Wabash River in Indiana and the Mississippi above St. Louis may persist for several weeks even if rainfall stops entirely.
Where It Started: Colorado
A late-season cold front dropped Front Range temperatures more than 50 degrees in under 36 hours. Denver hit the upper 70s Thursday. By Friday night, lows had fallen to 18 to 24 degrees, triggering a NWS Freeze Warning. Above-ground irrigation lines that were not drained likely failed. Sensitive vegetation and fruit trees will show damage. Colorado’s snowpack was at just 17 percent of the median peak as of April 13, the worst in four decades…