BILLINGS, MONTANA — Three separate Slight Risk zones stretch across the northern Plains and Rockies today, Sunday, with large hail and damaging winds identified as the primary threats, while the Southeast and Northeast also face localized severe potential.
Three Slight Risk Zones in the West
The SPC-based severe outlook, issued at 16Z, highlights three distinct Slight Risk areas today. The first covers a zone near Helena and Billings in Montana, the second surrounds Bismarck, North Dakota, and the third centers on Salt Lake City, Utah.
Each of these three zones carries the day’s highest probability for strong to severe thunderstorms, embedded within a much broader Marginal Risk area that stretches across the Rockies and northern Plains, covering Cheyenne, Denver, and Sioux Falls.
Primary Threats Across the Northern Plains and Rockies
Forecasters say large hail and damaging winds are the primary risks across all three highlighted Slight Risk zones today, consistent with the type of severe weather that has repeatedly affected the Plains in recent days.
Southeast and Northeast Also Face Storm Potential
Beyond the Slight Risk zones out west, a separate area of Marginal Risk stretches across the Southeast, covering Memphis, Atlanta, Montgomery, and Jacksonville, where some thunderstorms are possible today with localized severe potential.
A second Marginal Risk area covers parts of the Northeast, including Albany, Boston, and stretching toward New York, where isolated stronger storms could also develop.
Broader Thunderstorm Coverage
A much larger area of general thunderstorm potential, shown in the lightest shading, spans a huge footprint of the country, from the Pacific Northwest through the Southwest, and across the Plains, Midwest, and South, covering cities including Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.
What Residents Should Do
Residents across Montana, North Dakota, and Utah, particularly near Billings, Bismarck, and Salt Lake City, should remain weather aware today given the elevated potential for large hail and damaging winds, while those in the Southeast and Northeast should also monitor conditions for localized severe storm development…