Tag: Kansas

  • Storm Updates: Kansas–Oklahoma Slight Risk, Ohio Valley–Mid-Atlantic Flood Pulse — Saturday, September 12, 2026 (Morning)

    This is a live Saturday morning snapshot of local storm-type events across the United States as of the early hours of Saturday, September 12, 2026. Overnight into this morning the organized severe pulse that ran eastern South Dakota into Minnesota has expired. Severe Thunderstorm Watch 666 is down. No convective watches are valid as of mid-morning UTC. The Storm Prediction Center 1300 UTC Day 1 outlook has upgraded the afternoon and evening corridor to a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of the central and southern Plains into the Ozarks. The Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook holds a Slight Risk for portions of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic.

    These are county- and ZIP-scale thunderstorms, not a mainland hurricane landfall. Restoration exposure today is large hail and damaging wind on the Plains, plus interior water where Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic cells train. Conditions change fast. Verify with the National Weather Service for the specific county or ZIP before you roll.

    What expired overnight vs what is live this morning

    Watch 666 covered southwestern into north-central Minnesota and eastern South Dakota from 6:40 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. CDT Friday. Primary language was scattered large hail, isolated very large hail to two inches, damaging gusts to 70 mph, and a tornado or two if a supercell held together early in the watch. That watch is expired. SPC current watches page as of 12:03 UTC Saturday: no watches valid. Last issued watch remains 666.

    What is live this morning is the outlook, not a watch. The 0748 AM CDT Saturday Day 1 convective outlook is valid 1300 UTC Saturday through 1200 UTC Sunday. Headline: there is a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of the central and southern Plains. Summary language: isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms capable of large to very large hail and severe or damaging winds may occur across parts of the central and southern Plains into the Ozarks this afternoon and evening. A separate Marginal Risk corridor remains over the upper Ohio Valley for isolated damaging gusts this afternoon.

    WPC’s current Day 1 excessive-rainfall outlook, issued 339 AM EDT Saturday and valid 12Z Saturday to 12Z Sunday, keeps a Slight Risk of rainfall exceeding flash-flood guidance for portions of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic. Precipitable water of 2.0 to 2.25 inches is forecast to stream north along the I-95 corridor from Richmond and Washington toward Baltimore and Philadelphia by Saturday evening, then into the New York metro and lower Long Island late Saturday night. That late-night northern end of the slight risk is expected to linger into Sunday (Day 2).

    Hotspot 1 — Southern Kansas, northern Oklahoma, eastern Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles into the Ozarks

    This is today’s severe ticket. Elevated storms persisted overnight into early morning across southern Nebraska into eastern Kansas and western Missouri on a modest low-level jet. SPC expects that activity to weaken through the remainder of the morning, with some guidance still showing additional development along outflow across southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. A fairly strong cold front is draped from eastern Colorado into Kansas and northwest Missouri. That boundary is the afternoon focus.

    Along and south of the front, a narrow zone of moderate to strong instability (MLCAPE 2000–3500 J/kg) is forecast this afternoon from the eastern Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles into southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Deep-layer shear of about 30–40 kt is enough for organized updrafts. Isolated robust development along the front is favored around 21–23Z once convective temperatures are reached. Sustained supercells would pose a threat for large to very large hail, including isolated two-inch-plus stones. Higher-based convection from the eastern Panhandles into southwest and south-central Kansas and northern Oklahoma favors scattered severe downdrafts. Some gusts could exceed 75 mph. Clustering later this afternoon and evening remains uncertain, but isolated damaging wind may persist into much of Oklahoma and the Ozarks if upstream storms in Kansas and western Missouri stay organized.

    Cities and counties to watch: Wichita, Hutchinson, Emporia, Liberal, and Derby in the Slight Risk core; Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Kansas City sit in the surrounding Marginal Risk. Restoration read: hail first in the Slight Risk, then wind. Stage tarps and roof kits before mid-afternoon local. If a cell trains on the same ZIP, treat it as a water job by morning.

    Hotspot 2 — Ohio Valley through the Mid-Atlantic I-95 corridor

    This is today’s flood ticket, not the hail ticket. SPC keeps only a Marginal Risk of isolated damaging wind across parts of the upper Ohio Valley this afternoon in a narrow corridor of filtered heating between denser clouds over Ohio and a stationary boundary to the east. Mid-level lapse rates stay poor. The bigger operational signal is WPC. HREF signals include moderate-to-high chances of three- and six-hour flash-flood-guidance exceedance in the upper Ohio Valley, and a 20–40 percent chance of three-hour QPF over two inches from the Richmond area late Saturday afternoon, then from northeast Maryland into the Delaware Valley and southern New Jersey Saturday night. The Slight Risk was extended north through eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, and into the New York metro and lower Long Island, with that northern end weighted late Saturday night into Sunday.

    Cities and counties to watch: Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, the upper Ohio Valley; Richmond, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, northern New Jersey, New York City, and lower Long Island on the late-day and overnight rain axis. Restoration read: urban street flooding, low crossings, and wet drywall where cells train. The 24–48 hour mold clock starts when water is inside, not when the outlook expires.

    Hotspot 3 — Just-hit Upper Midwest and leftover Arizona water

    Friday evening’s Slight Risk over far eastern South Dakota into Minnesota verified locally. Preliminary Storm Prediction Center local storm reports for the 1200 UTC Friday to 1159 UTC Saturday window include a tornado touchdown reported seven miles northeast of Artichoke in Stevens County, Minnesota, around 0051 UTC, plus downed power poles eight miles south of Alberta on County Highway 9. Golf-ball hail (1.75 inches) was reported east and south of Artichoke and south of Alberta. Half-dollar hail fell near Dumont, Herman, Norcross, and Toronto, South Dakota. Wind damage and trees on lines were reported around Chokio, Embarrass and Britt in St. Louis County, Whipholt and Longville in Cass County, and Blue Grass in Wadena County, with one report noting possible tornado damage and large trees blocking County Road 23.

    Separate Friday hail and wind clusters hit Tarrant County, Texas (Arlington and Mansfield, golf-ball hail and trees and poles down), Bexar County, Texas after 0310 UTC (golf-ball hail near Converse), and a long tree-down corridor through South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Arizona flash-flood warnings fired Friday evening over Gila, Coconino, Navajo, Cochise, and Graham Counties, including fire-scar drainages. Those Arizona warnings were evening products; treat them as just-hit water, not today’s new Slight Risk.

    Just hit

    Minnesota and eastern South Dakota are yesterday’s tickets: hail, trees, poles, and at least one reported tornado touchdown that still needs a damage survey, not a new watch. North Texas and San Antonio-area hail are Friday afternoon and overnight work already on the books. The Carolinas and southern Virginia tree-down scatter is the same. Today’s new work, if it verifies, is the Kansas–Oklahoma hail and wind corridor plus localized flash flooding from the Ohio Valley onto the Mid-Atlantic I-95 axis tonight.

    Pulse table

    RegionMain threatsSPC / NWS / WPC levelStatus this morning
    Southern KS / northern OK / Panhandles / OzarksLarge to very large hail, damaging wind, isolated 75+ mph gustsSPC Slight (core) + Marginal surroundOutlook live; no watch yet
    Upper Ohio ValleyIsolated damaging wind; heavy rain / flash floodSPC Marginal + WPC Slight EROAfternoon increase
    Mid-Atlantic I-95 (RIC–DC–BAL–PHL–NYC)Training heavy rain, urban flash floodWPC Slight EROLate afternoon through Saturday night
    Eastern SD / west-central and northern MNHail, trees, poles, reported tornadoWatch 666 expired 10 p.m. CDT FriAftermath / just-hit
    North Texas / San Antonio metroFriday hail and windLocal LSRsAftermath
    Southeast AZ fire scars / washesFlash flood from Friday cellsExpired FFWsAftermath
    Atlantic / Gulf vs. U.S. mainlandNo landfalling tropical cycloneNHC: formation not expected next 7 days in AtlanticQuiet on the mainland coast

    What this means for restoration teams

    Two-inch hail is roof and auto glass work in the Slight Risk counties. Gusts of 60–75 mph are siding, gutter, and tree-on-structure work. A reported tornado near Artichoke, Minnesota, is a narrow swath — staff it as a local damage survey, not a regional event. Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic heavy rain is wet drywall and a same-night extraction clock if water is inside. Do not send the same crew to Wichita hail and Pittsburgh flooding without checking which county actually has a warning now.

    For teams in or near the Kansas–Oklahoma Slight Risk: stage before mid-afternoon local, not after the first warning. Property owners should photograph damage in daylight if it is safe, call the carrier, and start extraction the same night if water is inside.

    What this is not

    This is not a regional derecho and not a U.S. mainland hurricane landfall. National Hurricane Center Atlantic outlook at 800 AM EDT Saturday: tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next seven days. Eastern Pacific Tropical Storm Norbert is well west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and is not a U.S. land threat. The work today, if it comes, will be scattered: a hail swath through a Kansas or Oklahoma county, a wind-thrown tree in the upper Ohio Valley, a flooded underpass where Mid-Atlantic cells train. That is the local-storm pattern this desk should staff.

    Looking ahead

    SPC Day 2 is a Marginal Risk Sunday afternoon and evening from western New England through the upper Ohio Valley for small to marginally severe hail and locally damaging gusts. Day 3 is also Marginal. Fire-weather outlooks are Elevated today and Sunday. The next Day 1 convective outlook is scheduled by 1630 UTC. Watch the afternoon Storm Tracker update rather than assuming this morning’s Slight Risk is the last line of the weekend.

    Sources and how to verify

    Primary sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Sep 12, 2026 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook (issued 0748 AM CDT); SPC current watches page (no watches valid; most recently issued Watch 666); SPC preliminary local storm reports for 20260911 1200 UTC–20260912 1159 UTC; Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook issued 339 AM EDT Sat Sep 12, 2026; National Hurricane Center Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook 800 AM EDT Sat Sep 12, 2026; National Weather Service watch/warning text feed.

    Check weather.gov for the county warning, spc.noaa.gov for the outlook, watch, and LSRs, and WPC excessive rainfall for the flood overlay. Prior desk: Friday, September 11 storm updates (afternoon).

    Informational only — not an official weather warning. Follow local authorities and the National Weather Service. Turn around, don’t drown.

  • Storm Updates: Upper Midwest Slight Risk, VA–NC Wind Scatter — Friday, September 11, 2026

    This is a live Friday afternoon snapshot of local storm-type events across the United States as of Friday, September 11, 2026. The organized pulse is still ahead of most radar cores: the Storm Prediction Center 2000 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook keeps a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms across the Upper Midwest for late this afternoon and tonight. No convective watches are currently valid. Mesoscale Discussion 2281, issued 1937 UTC, flags a lower-end damaging-wind threat over parts of southern Virginia and northern North Carolina with watch issuance unlikely. The Weather Prediction Center holds a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall in far southern Arizona and northern Minnesota.

    These remain county- and ZIP-scale thunderstorms, not a mainland hurricane landfall. Tropical Storm Norbert is in the Eastern Pacific well west-southwest of Baja California and poses no threat to U.S. land. Restoration exposure this afternoon is wind, water, hail, and trees: large hail and damaging wind in the Minnesota–northeast South Dakota Slight Risk, isolated wind in the Virginia–North Carolina scatter, flash-flood rates in northern Minnesota and Santa Cruz County, Arizona, plus residual hail and pole work from last night’s Texas Panhandle event. Conditions change fast. Verify with the National Weather Service for the specific county or ZIP before you roll.

    What is live this afternoon

    No severe thunderstorm or tornado watches are in effect as of the SPC watch page update Friday afternoon. The most recently issued watch remains Watch 665 from earlier in the week. Today’s official Local Storm Reports page (1200 UTC Friday through 1159 UTC Saturday) still shows no new tornado, hail, or wind reports in that window. Last night’s reports sit on the September 10 LSR page.

    SPC’s 2000 UTC Day 1 outlook (forecaster Wendt, issued 0300 PM CDT) is mostly on track from the morning package. Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of large hail (some 2+ inches), damaging winds, and a couple of tornadoes are expected late this afternoon and tonight across parts of the Upper Midwest. Initiation farther south into the central Plains remains more uncertain and conditional. Marginal wind/hail probabilities were extended into more of central Kansas for overnight conditional storms as the cold front reaches northern Kansas Saturday morning.

    WPC’s Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook (updated 1601 UTC, valid 16Z Friday–12Z Saturday) keeps Slight Risk language over far southern Arizona and northern Minnesota. The 16Z update expanded a Marginal Risk eastward across more of the Florida Panhandle for 1–2+ inch local rates. Mid-South, Tennessee Valley, central Gulf Coast, and Southern Appalachians stay in the more widespread thunderstorm/flash-flood conversation at Marginal intensity.

    Hotspot 1 — Upper Midwest Slight Risk (northeast SD into western and northern MN)

    This is still the primary organized severe corridor. A mid-level shortwave and cold front support a narrow corridor of 60s F dewpoints, moderate destabilization, and 35–45 kt of deep-layer shear. Initial supercells favor large hail, isolated 2+ inches possible. Mode should trend toward clusters and bowing segments this evening as the low-level jet strengthens, shifting the main hazard toward damaging wind. A couple of tornadoes remain in the official language if any cells stay semi-discrete into early evening. The wind threat is expected to wane with eastward extent into western Wisconsin late tonight as the instability corridor stays narrow.

    Cities and counties to watch: Watertown and Aberdeen vicinity in South Dakota; Willmar, St. Cloud, Fergus Falls, Brainerd, Hibbing, Duluth, and the Minnesota Arrowhead. Restoration read: hail first, then wind and trees after dark. Stage roof tarps, generators, and tree crews on the Minnesota side of the Slight Risk before evening clustering. Photograph only in remaining daylight if it is safe.

    Hotspot 2 — Southern Virginia and northern North Carolina (MD 2281)

    Mesoscale Discussion 2281 (valid 1937–2200 UTC) covers parts of southern Virginia and northern North Carolina. A stationary boundary from far northeastern North Carolina into south-central Virginia is the focus. Moderate surface-based buoyancy and steepening low-level lapse rates support loosely organized clusters capable of locally damaging gusts of 55–70 mph and isolated/marginally severe hail up to about 1.25 inches. Watch probability is 20 percent — watch unlikely.

    Offices in the attention line: AKQ, MHX, LWX, RAH, RNK. Restoration read: treat this as scattered wind and tree work, not a regional line. One strong cluster can still drop a tree on a service drop or peel a section of roof. Do not staff it like Watch 665 from Wednesday.

    Hotspot 3 — WPC flood pockets: northern Minnesota and far southern Arizona

    The same shortwave that supports the Upper Midwest Slight Risk also carries a WPC Slight Risk of excessive rainfall over northern Minnesota. Official discussion cites precipitable water in the upper climatological percentile, possible training near the warm front, 1–2 inches (locally up to 3 inches), and rates approaching 1.5 inches per hour Friday afternoon and evening.

    Far southern Arizona, especially the Santa Cruz County corridor, remains the other Slight Risk flood pocket on monsoon moisture with precipitable water above 1.5 inches. HREF guidance earlier today showed moderate-to-high chances of 3-hour QPF exceeding flash-flood guidance there. The Florida Panhandle was added to the broader Marginal flood language on the 16Z update for coastal 1–2+ inch rates.

    Restoration read: northern Minnesota can be a dual ticket — hail/wind plus interior water if cores train. Southern Arizona is a flash-flood and poor-drainage desk. Florida Panhandle is localized urban flooding, not the national headline.

    Just hit

    Thursday evening into early Friday remains the live claim pile. Official September 10 LSRs include 2.25-inch hail near Lake Tanglewood and 2.00-inch hail at Timbercreek Canyon in Randall County, Texas; 1.75-inch and 1.25-inch stones around Lake Tanglewood and Pantex; an 87 mph thunderstorm gust 1 SE of Colby, Thomas County, Kansas; 67 mph near Pantex; 65 mph at Plainview, Hale County, Texas, with snapped power poles, an overturned construction trailer, damaged vehicles, and fences down; plus additional 60–62 mph gusts on the Texas South Plains. Residual high-water work from overnight Flash Flood Warnings in north-central West Virginia and southeastern Ohio is still on yesterday morning’s books.

    No Atlantic tropical cyclone is present. NHC’s 200 PM EDT Friday Tropical Weather Outlook states tropical cyclone formation is not expected in the Atlantic, Caribbean, or Gulf of America during the next 7 days. Tropical Storm Norbert, 65 mph as of the late-morning Eastern Pacific package, is moving west well offshore and is not a U.S. land threat.

    Pulse table

    RegionMain threatsSPC / NWS / WPC levelStatus this afternoon
    NE SD / western & northern MNLarge hail (2+” possible), damaging wind, couple tornadoesSPC SlightLate afternoon–tonight
    Southern VA / northern NCLocally damaging gusts 55–70 mph, isolated hailMD 2281, watch unlikelyRemainder of afternoon
    Northern MN / far southern AZFlash-flood rates, training possible in MNWPC SlightAfternoon–evening
    TX Panhandle / Colby KSHail to 2.25″, 60–87 mph gusts, poles/vehiclesSept 10 LSRsJust-hit / recovery
    Central Plains / central KS overnightConditional hail/windSPC Marginal (expanded 20Z)Evening–overnight if storms fire
    Mid-South / TN Valley / CarolinasPulse damaging gusts, heavy rainSPC MarginalScattered
    Atlantic / Gulf vs. U.S. mainlandNo landfalling tropical cycloneNHC: no TC next 7 daysQuiet

    What this means for restoration teams

    The Texas Panhandle and Colby, Kansas, hits are already tickets: hail roofs and vehicles in Randall and Carson counties, wind-driven pole and debris work around Plainview and Colby. Today’s new work, if it verifies, is the Upper Midwest Slight Risk after peak heating — hail swaths first, then tree-and-wire clusters. Northern Minnesota can add interior water on the same shift. Virginia–North Carolina is a local wind desk, not a watch-scale deployment.

    Stage Minnesota tarps and tree crews before dark. Property owners should photograph damage in daylight if it is safe, call the carrier, and start extraction the same night if water is inside. Do not send the same crew to both the Minnesota Slight Risk and last night’s Texas recovery without checking which county actually has a warning now.

    What this is not

    This is not a regional derecho and not a U.S. mainland hurricane landfall. There is no live tornado or severe thunderstorm watch as of this afternoon package. The work tonight, if it comes, will be scattered: a hail swath through a Minnesota or South Dakota county, a wind-downed tree in southern Virginia, a flooded wash in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, or leftover pole work in Hale County, Texas. That is the local-storm pattern this desk should staff.

    Looking ahead

    Saturday’s Day 2 Convective Outlook (1730 UTC, forecaster Jewell) drops to Marginal over parts of the Central Plains and from Ohio and West Virginia into western Pennsylvania. Widely scattered strong-to-severe storms are possible Saturday afternoon and evening over parts of the Central Plains, with isolated activity also possible in the Upper Ohio Valley. Critical fire-weather conditions remain in today’s fire outlook. Watch the next Storm Tracker update rather than assuming the Upper Midwest Slight Risk is the last line of the week.

    Sources and how to verify

    Primary sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Day 1 Convective Outlook issued 2000 UTC Friday, September 11, 2026; SPC Mesoscale Discussion 2281 issued 1937 UTC; SPC current watches page (no watches valid); SPC Local Storm Reports for 11 September (none in the new 12Z window as of this writing) and 10 September (Texas Panhandle and Colby, Kansas); Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook updated 1601 UTC; National Hurricane Center Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook 200 PM EDT Friday; Eastern Pacific package on Tropical Storm Norbert. Morning desk on the same calendar day: Friday morning Storm Updates.

    Check weather.gov for the county warning, spc.noaa.gov for the outlook, watches, MDs, and LSRs, and WPC excessive rainfall for the flood overlay. NWS warning text feed: national WWA text.

    Informational only — not an official weather warning. Follow local authorities and the National Weather Service. Turn around, don’t drown.

  • Storm Updates: Upper Midwest Slight Risk, Texas Panhandle Hail and Wind Overnight — Friday, September 11, 2026 (Morning)

    This is a live Friday morning snapshot of local storm-type events across the United States as of the early hours of Friday, September 11, 2026. Overnight into this morning the organized severe pulse was limited and mostly High Plains–oriented. No convective watches are currently valid. The Storm Prediction Center has elevated a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms for parts of the Upper Midwest later today, with a broader Marginal Risk covering the central Plains into the Mid-South, Tennessee Valley, Carolinas, and Virginia. The Weather Prediction Center holds a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall in far southern Arizona and northern Minnesota, with localized flash-flood potential still lingering from overnight activity in the Ohio Valley and central Appalachians.

    These remain county- and ZIP-scale thunderstorms, not a mainland hurricane landfall. Tropical Storm Norbert is active in the Eastern Pacific well offshore and poses no threat to U.S. land. Restoration exposure today centers on residual wind and hail damage from the Texas Panhandle overnight, lingering water in West Virginia and Ohio counties, and the new Slight Risk corridor from far northeast South Dakota into western and northern Minnesota this afternoon and evening. Conditions change fast. Verify with the National Weather Service for the specific county or ZIP before you roll.

    What is live this morning

    No severe thunderstorm or tornado watches are in effect as of the 1300 UTC Day 1 outlook. The most recent watch was Watch 665 from Wednesday evening. Overnight Local Storm Reports show a concentrated hail and wind event across the Texas Panhandle and nearby High Plains counties, with measured gusts to 87 mph near Colby, Kansas, and hail up to 2.25 inches near Lake Tanglewood in Randall County, Texas. Flash Flood Warnings and Flood Warnings were issued overnight for portions of eastern Arkansas, north-central West Virginia, southeastern Ohio, and the Virginia Eastern Shore; most of those products have expired or are in their final hours this morning.

    SPC’s 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook highlights a Slight Risk across parts of the Upper Midwest—primarily far northeast South Dakota into western and northern Minnesota—for large hail (isolated 2+ inches possible), damaging winds, and a couple of tornadoes late this afternoon into tonight. A broader Marginal Risk extends south into the central Plains and eastward across the Mid-South into the Tennessee Valley, Carolinas, and Virginia for more disorganized pulse-type storms capable of occasional damaging gusts.

    Hotspot 1 — Upper Midwest Slight Risk (northeast SD into western/northern MN)

    This is the primary organized severe corridor for today. A mid-level shortwave trough ejecting across the northern Plains will support a surface low and cold front. Moderate destabilization and 35–45 kt deep-layer shear favor initial supercells capable of large hail, with a transition to clusters and bowing segments producing damaging winds this evening. A low-end tornado threat exists if any cells remain discrete into the early evening when low-level shear increases. Confidence is higher in the far northeast SD–western MN axis than farther south into the central Plains, where initiation remains more conditional.

    Cities and counties to watch: Aberdeen and Watertown areas in South Dakota; St. Cloud, Willmar, Duluth, Superior, Hibbing, and the Minnesota Arrowhead. Restoration read: stage for hail and wind. Large hail can produce concentrated roof and vehicle damage; clustering storms raise the tree-and-wire risk after dark. Photograph in remaining daylight only if safe.

    Hotspot 2 — Texas Panhandle and High Plains overnight hits

    Thursday evening into early Friday produced the most significant Local Storm Reports of the overnight window. Hail reports included 2.25-inch stones near Lake Tanglewood (Randall County, TX), 2.00-inch at Timbercreek Canyon, and multiple 1.00–1.75-inch reports around Pantex and Lake Tanglewood. Wind reports included an 87 mph gust 1 SE of Colby (Thomas County, KS), 67 mph near Pantex, 65 mph near Plainview (Hale County, TX) with snapped power poles and overturned vehicles, and additional 60–62 mph gusts across the Texas South Plains. Construction trailers and fences were damaged in the Plainview area.

    Restoration read: this is already a just-hit desk. Hail-damaged roofs and vehicles in Randall, Carson, and Hale counties, plus wind-driven tree and pole work around Colby and Plainview, will generate same-day claims. Coordinate with local emergency management for access if power poles are down.

    Hotspot 3 — Residual flood pulse (Ohio Valley, central Appalachians, eastern Arkansas)

    WPC’s Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook carries a Slight Risk for far southern Arizona (Santa Cruz County area) and northern Minnesota. Overnight, Flash Flood Warnings were active across Randolph County, Arkansas; multiple north-central West Virginia counties (Braxton, Gilmer, Upshur, Lewis, Roane, Calhoun, Ritchie, Wirt, Jackson, Wood); southeastern Ohio (Gallia, Jackson, Meigs, Vinton); and southern Accomack County, Virginia. Several of those products noted observed flooding, including impassable sections of US 33 near Glenville, West Virginia, and residual high water into Friday morning.

    Restoration read: water extraction and drying are already on the books in the warned West Virginia and Ohio counties. Northern Minnesota joins the slight-risk language later today as the same system that supports the severe threat also produces 1–2 inch (locally 3 inch) rainfall amounts with rates approaching 1.5 inches per hour. Southern Arizona remains a monsoon-style flash-flood pocket.

    Just hit

    Wednesday’s Ohio–Pennsylvania–western New York Slight Risk and Watch 665 produced residual tree and wind damage that carried into Thursday. Thursday’s Marginal Risk corridor from the southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic generated the Texas Panhandle hail/wind event detailed above and scattered overnight flood warnings. Iowa river flooding from earlier in the week continues to recede in places. No new U.S. mainland tropical cyclone is present; Tropical Storm Norbert remains well out in the Eastern Pacific.

    Pulse table

    RegionMain threatsSPC / NWS / WPC levelStatus this morning
    NE SD / western & northern MNLarge hail (2+” possible), damaging wind, couple tornadoesSPC SlightLate afternoon–tonight
    TX Panhandle / High PlainsHail to 2.25″, 60–87 mph gusts, pole/vehicle damageOvernight LSRsJust-hit / recovery
    Central WV / SE OH / E ARFlash flooding, residual high waterExpired/expiring FFWs + Flood WarningsAftermath / still draining
    Far southern AZFlash flood ratesWPC SlightAfternoon cells
    Mid-South / TN Valley / Carolinas / VAOccasional damaging gusts, pulse stormsSPC MarginalAfternoon–evening
    Atlantic / Gulf vs. U.S. mainlandNo landfalling tropical cycloneQuiet on the mainland coastQuiet

    What this means for restoration teams

    Overnight hail and wind in the Texas Panhandle is already producing roof, vehicle, and pole claims. Residual flash flooding in West Virginia and southeastern Ohio is extraction-and-dry work with a 24–48 hour mold clock on any wet drywall. Today’s new Slight Risk in the Upper Midwest is a classic late-afternoon to evening supercell-to-cluster transition: large hail first, then damaging wind as storms grow upscale. Stage tarps, generators, and tree crews for the Minnesota corridor before the evening transition. Property owners should photograph damage in daylight if it is safe, call the carrier, and start extraction the same night if water is inside.

    What this is not

    This is not a regional derecho and not a U.S. mainland hurricane landfall. The work today, if it verifies, will be scattered: a hail swath through a Minnesota or South Dakota county, residual high water in a West Virginia hollow, or a wind-damaged construction site in the Texas South Plains. That is the local-storm pattern this desk should staff.

    Looking ahead

    Saturday the convective outlook drops to Marginal. Critical fire-weather conditions are also noted by SPC for today over parts of the West. Watch the next Storm Tracker update rather than assuming the Upper Midwest Slight Risk is the last line of the week.

    Sources and how to verify

    Primary sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Day 1 Convective Outlook issued 1226Z Friday, September 11, 2026; SPC Local Storm Reports for the 10 September period; Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook updated 0832Z; National Weather Service warning text for Amarillo, Lubbock, Charleston WV, Little Rock, Wakefield, and neighboring offices. No active convective watches as of 1205Z.

    Check weather.gov for the county warning, spc.noaa.gov for the outlook and LSRs, and WPC excessive rainfall for the flood overlay. Prior desk: Thursday afternoon Storm Updates.

    Informational only — not an official weather warning. Follow local authorities and the National Weather Service. Turn around, don’t drown.

  • Storm Updates: Southern Plains to Mid-Atlantic Marginal Risk, Kansas–Missouri Flood Pulse — Thursday, September 10, 2026 (Morning)

    This is a live Thursday morning snapshot of local storm-type events across the United States as of the early hours of Thursday, September 10, 2026. Overnight the organized severe pulse from Wednesday’s Slight Risk and Severe Thunderstorm Watch 665 across northern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, and western New York has largely expired. The Storm Prediction Center’s Day 1 outlook has settled into a broad Marginal Risk of severe thunderstorms stretching from the southern High Plains to the southern Mid-Atlantic coast. The primary threat language is sporadic damaging wind gusts this afternoon and evening, with isolated large hail possible over south-central Colorado into northeast New Mexico and the Oklahoma–Texas Panhandles.

    These remain county- and ZIP-scale thunderstorms. No named tropical cyclone currently threatens U.S. land. Restoration exposure today is residual wind and tree work from last night’s Ohio–Pennsylvania corridor, plus fresh flood and wind potential where the cold front and residual moisture continue to fire cells from the southern Plains eastward. Conditions change fast. Verify with the National Weather Service for the specific county or ZIP before you roll.

    What is live this morning

    No convective watches are currently valid. Watch 665, the last active severe thunderstorm watch covering the Upper Ohio Valley and Lake Erie counties, has expired. SPC’s 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook places a Marginal Risk across a long corridor from the southern High Plains through the lower Mississippi Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic. Strong daytime heating is expected south of residual cloud and overnight storms, with temperatures into the 90s to near 100°F over the southern Plains and upper 80s to mid-90s farther east. That buoyancy, coupled with the residual cold front and outflow boundaries, supports thunderstorms that can produce isolated severe gusts.

    The Weather Prediction Center’s updated Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook (valid 12Z Thursday–12Z Friday) carries a Slight Risk of rainfall exceeding flash-flood guidance over a focused area from roughly southeast Ohio into central Kentucky and adjacent portions of West Virginia and Indiana. Broader Marginal Risk areas cover parts of the southern Plains, the lower Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic, the Southwest monsoon corridor, and a pocket in the Gulf coastal states.

    Hotspot 1 — Residual Ohio–Pennsylvania–western New York wind corridor

    Wednesday evening’s Slight Risk and Watch 665 produced a series of severe thunderstorm warnings and local storm reports of tree and power-line damage across northern and central Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, and adjacent counties. Preliminary LSRs include tree and utility damage near Huron and Hartville, Ohio; Edinboro, Pennsylvania; and Chester, West Virginia, among others. The organized severe threat has moved on, but the restoration desk for those counties is still active: downed trees, service drops, and isolated roof or siding work from 50–70 mph gusts.

    Cities and counties still in the aftermath window: Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Mansfield, and surrounding northern Ohio counties; Erie, Crawford, and northwest Pennsylvania; the northern West Virginia panhandle. Stage remaining tree and tarp crews for daylight surveys and carrier documentation.

    Hotspot 2 — Southeast Kansas into south-central Missouri flood pulse

    Overnight and early this morning, training storms along and south of the cold front have produced locally heavy rainfall across southeast Kansas into portions of western and central Missouri. National Weather Service offices have issued Flood Warnings and Advisories for Allen, Labette, and Montgomery Counties in Kansas (into midday) and adjacent Missouri counties. Radar-estimated amounts of 1–4 inches, with rates of 1–3 inches per hour in stronger cores, have already produced flooding of low-lying roads, creeks, and poor-drainage areas. WPC’s Slight Risk of excessive rainfall for the day is focused farther east into the Ohio Valley, but the Kansas–Missouri corridor remains the live water desk this morning.

    Restoration read: extraction and drying work where water entered structures overnight. Photograph damage in daylight, document water lines, and treat any interior water as a same-day priority before the mold clock advances.

    Hotspot 3 — Southern Plains to Mid-Atlantic Marginal Risk this afternoon–evening

    SPC expects the Marginal Risk corridor to re-fire with daytime heating. The primary hazard is sporadic damaging wind gusts from multicell clusters and short line segments along the residual front and outflow boundaries. Isolated large hail is possible over the higher terrain of south-central Colorado into northeast New Mexico and the Panhandles. Vertical shear is modest overall but sufficient for organized bowing segments farther east where buoyancy is lower but mid-level flow is stronger.

    Key population centers under the Marginal Risk umbrella include parts of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Memphis, Nashville, and the Washington, D.C., corridor, though the risk is scattered rather than continuous. Local Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Special Weather Statements are the expected mode of action rather than new watches.

    Just hit — overnight LSRs

    Preliminary Local Storm Reports from the 1200 UTC September 9 – 1159 UTC September 10 window include:

    • 1.75-inch hail 8 SE of Colorado City, Huerfano County, Colorado (0600 UTC).
    • Wind gusts of 72 mph near Booker, Lipscomb County, Texas; 70 mph SSE of Mayfield, Sumner County, Kansas; 73 mph near Patagonia, Arizona; and multiple 58–78 mph readings in the Arizona–New Mexico border country and western Kansas overnight.
    • Numerous tree, limb, and power-line damage reports across northern and central Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, western West Virginia, and a long swath of eastern Kansas into western Missouri (Baldwin City, Wellington, Clinton, Holden, and surrounding towns).

    No tornado reports were received in the preliminary data for this period. All reports remain preliminary and subject to verification.

    Pulse table

    RegionMain threatsSPC / NWS / WPC levelStatus this morning
    Northern OH / NW PA / western NYResidual wind / tree / power damageWatch 665 expiredAftermath / just-hit
    SE Kansas / south-central MissouriFlash flood, training heavy rainFlood Warnings / Advisories activeLive water desk
    Southern Plains to Mid-AtlanticDamaging wind, isolated hailSPC Marginal RiskAfternoon–evening re-fire
    SE Colorado / NE New Mexico / PanhandlesIsolated large hail, strong windSPC Marginal (hail-focused)Afternoon terrain storms
    Ohio Valley / central KY (WPC)Excessive rainfall / flash floodWPC Slight RiskDay 1 outlook
    Atlantic / Gulf vs. U.S. mainlandNo landfalling tropical cycloneQuietQuiet

    What this means for restoration teams

    Wind damage from Wednesday night is already on the books in the Ohio–Pennsylvania corridor—tree removal, roof tarps, and service restoration. Kansas–Missouri flood work is the fresh ticket this morning: extract standing water, document, and start drying before temperatures climb. This afternoon’s Marginal Risk is scattered; the expected mode is isolated warnings rather than a continuous line. Stage for wind and isolated hail in the southern Plains and for additional water if cells train over already-wet ground in the Ohio Valley.

    Property owners in just-hit counties should photograph damage in remaining daylight if safe, contact the carrier, and begin extraction the same day if water is inside. Teams working the Kansas–Missouri flood pulse should treat every interior water job as time-sensitive.

    What this is not

    This is not a regional derecho and not a U.S. mainland hurricane landfall. National Hurricane Center products show no tropical cyclones in the Atlantic basin threatening U.S. land; Tropical Storms Lowell and Norbert remain well offshore in the Pacific. The work today is local: residual wind swaths from Wednesday night, flash-flood pockets in southeast Kansas and western Missouri, and scattered severe gusts under a broad Marginal Risk this afternoon and evening.

    Looking ahead

    SPC’s Day 2 outlook already carries a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms for portions of Nebraska into the Upper Midwest on Friday. The cold front will continue to shift east and south, keeping a wet and occasionally strong storm pattern across the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic into the weekend. Watch the next Storm Tracker update rather than assuming today’s Marginal Risk is the end of the corridor.

    Sources and how to verify

    Primary sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Day 1 Convective Outlook issued 1300 UTC Thursday, September 10, 2026; SPC Local Storm Reports for the 1200 UTC September 9–1159 UTC September 10 period; SPC Current Watches page (no watches valid as of early Thursday); Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook and 94e points text; National Weather Service warning and flood-statement text from Wichita, Springfield, and neighboring offices; National Hurricane Center tropical weather outlooks confirming no Atlantic threats to U.S. land.

    Check weather.gov for the county warning, spc.noaa.gov for the outlook, watches, and LSRs, and WPC excessive rainfall for the flood overlay. Prior desk: Wednesday, September 9 storm updates — Ohio–Pennsylvania–western New York Slight Risk.

    Informational only — not an official weather warning. Follow local authorities and the National Weather Service. Turn around, don’t drown.

  • Storm Updates: Ohio–Pennsylvania–Western New York Slight Risk, Kansas–Missouri Flood Pulse — Wednesday, September 9, 2026

    This is a live Wednesday snapshot of local storm-type events across the United States as of the afternoon of Wednesday, September 9, 2026. The organized pulse is east of yesterday’s Iowa–Nebraska corridor. A Storm Prediction Center Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms covers central Ohio into northwest Pennsylvania and western New York, and Severe Thunderstorm Watch 665 is in effect until 11:00 p.m. EDT. Farther west, the Weather Prediction Center holds a Slight Risk of excessive rainfall from southeast Kansas into south-central Missouri, with smaller flood-risk pockets in southeast Colorado and the Arizona–New Mexico border country.

    These are county- and ZIP-scale thunderstorms, not a mainland hurricane landfall. Restoration exposure tonight is wind-driven roof and siding work, trees on service drops, isolated hail, and interior water where cells train. Conditions change fast. Verify with the National Weather Service for the specific county or ZIP before you roll.

    What is live this afternoon

    Watch 665 covers western New York, northern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, the northern panhandle of West Virginia, and adjacent Lake Erie waters. Primary threat language is scattered damaging wind gusts to about 65 mph. SPC and NWS discussion also leaves room for a brief tornado, especially if a storm anchors on the surface boundary near the Ohio–Pennsylvania–New York border. Hail is secondary.

    A cold front still stretches on the order of a thousand miles from the Central Plains through the Great Lakes toward western New York. That is the same family of storms that wet Iowa and eastern Nebraska on Tuesday. Today the better-organized severe corridor is the eastern Great Lakes. Isolated strong-to-severe cells remain possible from the central Plains into the Ohio Valley, with a more disorganized, outflow-dominant mode west of the watch.

    Hotspot 1 — Northern Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, western New York

    This is the live watch. Storms are expected to increase through late afternoon and evening in a warm, humid boundary layer with enough shear for organized multicells, short line segments, and transient supercells. Mesoscale discussion language from mid-afternoon: a few damaging gusts over the next few hours, brief tornado not ruled out.

    Cities and counties to watch: Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Parma, Mansfield, Lorain and Medina counties in Ohio; Erie, Crawford, Warren, Mercer, and neighboring northwest Pennsylvania counties; Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany in western New York; the northern West Virginia panhandle.

    Restoration read: wind first. Stage tarps, generators, and tree crews before dark. If a cell trains or a warning includes heavy rain, treat the same ZIP as a water job by morning. Photograph roofs in remaining daylight only if it is safe.

    Hotspot 2 — Southeast Kansas into south-central Missouri, plus leftover Iowa water

    WPC’s Day 1 excessive-rainfall outlook keeps a Slight Risk from southeast Kansas into south-central Missouri. Guidance still supports training west-to-east overnight and 1-inch-per-hour rates in the better cores. Urban streets, low water crossings, and small streams are the first failures. A smaller slight-risk pocket sits over southeast Colorado early Thursday. Southeast Arizona into far southwest New Mexico stays in the same excessive-rainfall slight-risk language on monsoon-style cells.

    Iowa is not the new Slight Risk today, but it is still a just-hit desk. Flood warnings remain on pieces of the Des Moines system, including the Raccoon River at Des Moines and Walnut Creek. Tuesday’s rain is still in the channel. That is extraction and drying work already on the books, not a new watch.

    Restoration read: Kansas–Missouri is tonight’s flood ticket if cells stall. Iowa is yesterday’s water still moving through town. Do not send the same crew to both stories without checking which county actually has a warning now.

    Hotspot 3 — Central Plains and Southwest scatter

    Widely scattered slow-moving storms over hot, humid air in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas can still throw damaging gusts even when they stay below watch criteria. Local Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Special Weather Statements have already fired in the Texas Panhandle and other High Plains counties this afternoon. Southern Arizona and New Mexico higher terrain can produce heavy rain and strong outflow on the same moisture axis as the WPC slight risk.

    Southwest Florida holds a marginal heavy-rain pocket in tropical moisture. That is a local urban-flood and lightning desk, not the national headline.

    Just hit

    Tuesday’s Iowa–Nebraska Slight Risk and the Kauai flood-and-outage work after Hurricane Lowell are yesterday’s tickets. Lowell continues to move away from the islands; there is no new U.S. mainland tropical landfall in the current National Hurricane Center outlook. Today’s new work, if it verifies, is the Ohio–Erie–western New York wind corridor plus localized flash flooding in the Kansas–Missouri slight-risk area.

    Pulse table

    RegionMain threatsSPC / NWS levelStatus this afternoon
    Northern OH / NW PA / western NYDamaging wind, lightning, brief tornado possibleSlight + Watch 665 to 11 p.m. EDTLive watch
    SE Kansas / south-central MissouriFlash flood, training heavy rainWPC Slight excessive rainfallTonight into Thursday morning
    Des Moines / central Iowa riversMinor river flooding from Tuesday rainFlood warningsAftermath / still in channel
    TX / OK / KS scatter + High PlainsGusty damaging wind, isolated warningsLocal SVR / SPSScattered
    SE AZ / SW NM / SE ColoradoHeavy rain, strong outflowWPC Slight (local)Afternoon–overnight cells
    Atlantic / Gulf vs. U.S. mainlandNo landfalling hurricaneQuiet on the mainland coastQuiet

    What this means for restoration teams

    Wind at 58–65 mph is roof, siding, gutter, and tree-on-structure work. A brief tornado, if one occurs, is a narrow swath — staff it as a local damage survey, not a regional event. Heavy rain on the Kansas–Missouri slight risk is wet drywall and a 24–48 hour mold clock. Iowa water is already inside some buildings from Tuesday.

    For teams in or near Watch 665: stage before 5 p.m. local, not after the first warning. Property owners should photograph damage in daylight if it is safe, call the carrier, and start extraction the same night if water is inside.

    What this is not

    This is not a regional derecho and not a U.S. mainland hurricane landfall. The work tonight, if it comes, will be scattered: a wind swath through an Ohio or Pennsylvania county, a flooded intersection where Kansas or Missouri cells train, leftover river water in Des Moines. That is the local-storm pattern this desk should staff.

    Looking ahead

    Thursday the front slides toward the Mid-Atlantic, central Appalachians, and Ohio Valley with more wet weather and a continued flood watch in some of the same counties that take storms tonight. Later in the week, SPC language still flags another slight-risk window over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley. Watch the next Storm Tracker update rather than assuming Watch 665 is the last line of the week.

    Sources and how to verify

    Primary sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Day 1 Convective Outlook and Severe Thunderstorm Watch 665 for Wednesday, September 9, 2026; SPC Mesoscale Discussion covering northern Ohio into northwest Pennsylvania and far western New York; Weather Prediction Center Day 1 Excessive Rainfall Outlook; National Weather Service warning and flood-statement text for Cleveland, State College, Buffalo, Des Moines, Amarillo, and neighboring offices.

    Check weather.gov for the county warning, spc.noaa.gov for the outlook, watch, and LSRs, and WPC excessive rainfall for the flood overlay. Related desk: Tuesday, September 8 storm updates.

    Informational only — not an official weather warning. Follow local authorities and the National Weather Service. Turn around, don’t drown.