
Severe Thunderstorms Set to Roam the Northern Plains
Severe weather may be found across the northern Plains this afternoon, with these storms slowly progressing east and reaching the East Coast by the early to middle part of next week.
# HEADLINE -------------------- HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT TODAY EXTREME HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING EXTREME HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING # DETAILS -------------------- WHAT For the Heat Advisory, overnight temperatures in the mid to upper 70s provide little relief from daytime heat. For the Extreme Heat Warning, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 expected. For the Extreme Heat Watch, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 106 possible. WHERE Portions of northern, western and central Iowa. WHEN For the Heat Advisory, until noon CDT today. For the Extreme Heat Warning, from noon today to 9 PM CDT this evening. For the Extreme Heat Watch, from this evening through Monday evening. IMPACTS Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. ISSUED AT Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 4:48 AM CDT ISSUED BY National Weather Service Des Moines IA HEADER URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE # PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS -------------------- Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. # AREAS AFFECTED -------------------- Hardin, Pocahontas, Polk, Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Crawford, Dallas, Emmet, Franklin, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Madison, Palo Alto, Ringgold, Sac, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, Winnebago, Worth, Wright Including the cities of Clear Lake, Stuart, Clarion, Corning, Eagle Grove, New Market, Schaller, Bedford, Humboldt, Indianola, Guthrie Center, Hampton, Des Moines, Kanawha, Mount Ayr, Lake View, Jefferson, Rockwell City, Ackley, Northwood, Wall Lake, Estherville, Garner, Greenfield, Panora, Adel, Creston, Forest City, Pocahontas, Early, Pomeroy, Adair, Norwalk, Exira, Belmond, Atlantic, Bayard, Carroll, Gilmore City, Denison, Manson, Waukee, Fonda, Emmetsburg, Eldora, Earlham, Lake Mills, Odebolt, Casey, Sac City, Lake City, Algona, Rolfe, Carlisle, Fort Dodge, Winterset, Manly, Boone, Audubon, Lenox, Laurens, Ames, Webster City, Mason City, Iowa Falls, Fontanelle, Britt, and Perry
# HEADLINE -------------------- HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT TODAY EXTREME HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING EXTREME HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING # DETAILS -------------------- WHAT For the Heat Advisory, overnight temperatures in the mid to upper 70s provide little relief from daytime heat. For the Extreme Heat Warning, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 expected. For the Extreme Heat Watch, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 106 possible. WHERE Portions of northern, western and central Iowa. WHEN For the Heat Advisory, until noon CDT today. For the Extreme Heat Warning, from noon today to 9 PM CDT this evening. For the Extreme Heat Watch, from this evening through Monday evening. IMPACTS Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. ISSUED AT Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 4:48 AM CDT ISSUED BY National Weather Service Des Moines IA HEADER URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE # PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS -------------------- Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. # AREAS AFFECTED -------------------- Hardin, Pocahontas, Polk, Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Crawford, Dallas, Emmet, Franklin, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Madison, Palo Alto, Ringgold, Sac, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, Winnebago, Worth, Wright Including the cities of Clear Lake, Stuart, Clarion, Corning, Eagle Grove, New Market, Schaller, Bedford, Humboldt, Indianola, Guthrie Center, Hampton, Des Moines, Kanawha, Mount Ayr, Lake View, Jefferson, Rockwell City, Ackley, Northwood, Wall Lake, Estherville, Garner, Greenfield, Panora, Adel, Creston, Forest City, Pocahontas, Early, Pomeroy, Adair, Norwalk, Exira, Belmond, Atlantic, Bayard, Carroll, Gilmore City, Denison, Manson, Waukee, Fonda, Emmetsburg, Eldora, Earlham, Lake Mills, Odebolt, Casey, Sac City, Lake City, Algona, Rolfe, Carlisle, Fort Dodge, Winterset, Manly, Boone, Audubon, Lenox, Laurens, Ames, Webster City, Mason City, Iowa Falls, Fontanelle, Britt, and Perry
# HEADLINE -------------------- HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON CDT TODAY EXTREME HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING EXTREME HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING # DETAILS -------------------- WHAT For the Heat Advisory, overnight temperatures in the mid to upper 70s provide little relief from daytime heat. For the Extreme Heat Warning, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 112 expected. For the Extreme Heat Watch, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 106 possible. WHERE Portions of northern, western and central Iowa. WHEN For the Heat Advisory, until noon CDT today. For the Extreme Heat Warning, from noon today to 9 PM CDT this evening. For the Extreme Heat Watch, from this evening through Monday evening. IMPACTS Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. ISSUED AT Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 4:48 AM CDT ISSUED BY National Weather Service Des Moines IA HEADER URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE # PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS -------------------- Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. # AREAS AFFECTED -------------------- Hardin, Pocahontas, Polk, Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Crawford, Dallas, Emmet, Franklin, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Madison, Palo Alto, Ringgold, Sac, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, Winnebago, Worth, Wright Including the cities of Clear Lake, Stuart, Clarion, Corning, Eagle Grove, New Market, Schaller, Bedford, Humboldt, Indianola, Guthrie Center, Hampton, Des Moines, Kanawha, Mount Ayr, Lake View, Jefferson, Rockwell City, Ackley, Northwood, Wall Lake, Estherville, Garner, Greenfield, Panora, Adel, Creston, Forest City, Pocahontas, Early, Pomeroy, Adair, Norwalk, Exira, Belmond, Atlantic, Bayard, Carroll, Gilmore City, Denison, Manson, Waukee, Fonda, Emmetsburg, Eldora, Earlham, Lake Mills, Odebolt, Casey, Sac City, Lake City, Algona, Rolfe, Carlisle, Fort Dodge, Winterset, Manly, Boone, Audubon, Lenox, Laurens, Ames, Webster City, Mason City, Iowa Falls, Fontanelle, Britt, and Perry
There is a Slight Severe Storm Risk for your location. Continue reading for today's outlook from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. -------------------- National Severe Storm Outlook THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR PARTS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST AND GREAT LAKES SOUTHWESTWARD INTO NEBRASKA SUMMARY Severe thunderstorms capable of large to very large hail, damaging winds (possibly 75+ mph), and potentially some tornado risk are possible from the upper Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes southwestward into portions of Nebraska, mainly this afternoon into tonight. Parts of the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes An upper ridge will remain anchored from the Southwest into the central Rockies and High Plains through the period. Seasonably strong northwesterly flow aloft will overspread a very warm, moist, and unstable environment from parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes into the central Plains. This will result in a conditionally favorable environment across a broad region, though with generally subtle forcing mechanisms, considerable uncertainty remains regarding storm evolution through the period. Aside from any MCV influence on early-day convection, the most likely initiation zone for diurnal storm development currently appears to be from northern MN into WI, where one or more low-amplitude midlevel vorticity maxima may impinge upon the destabilizing environment. Initial supercell development would be possible in this area, posing a threat of large to very large hail, localized severe gusts, and potentially some tornado risk. Upscale growth into one or more intense southeastward-moving clusters with attendant severe-wind swaths would then be possible with time. However, some guidance remains relatively sparse with afternoon/evening development, resulting in uncertainty regarding coverage and favored corridors of potentially significant severe potential. Greater probabilities and an upgrade to Level-3/Enhanced Risk may eventually be needed, depending on how the uncertainties are resolved later today. NE into adjacent parts of southeast SD and western IA A somewhat separate area of potential severe-storm development is expected from parts of central NE into southeast SD. Initiation is expected near a weak surface trough as temperatures warm to near above 100 F and CINH is removed. MLCAPE of near/above 1500 J/kg and effective shear of 30-40 kt will favor development of a few organized cells and/or clusters. Severe gusts of 60-80 mph appear to be the most likely hazard within the hot/well-mixed environment. Isolated hail may also occur with any supercell, despite rather warm temperatures aloft. Mid-Atlantic into the Carolinas/GA/north FL A seasonably deep upper trough will persist across much of the eastern CONUS today. A modest increase in midlevel northwesterly flow is expected with time from the Mid-Atlantic into the Carolinas, GA, and north FL. Relatively cool conditions, weak lapse rates, and the potential influence of smoke will temper destabilization across the Mid Atlantic. However, MLCAPE increasing to near 1000 J/kg amid 25-35 kt of effective shear may support occasional storm organization, with a primary threat of locally damaging wind. Farther south, stronger heating/destabilization is expected across the Carolinas into GA/FL. Deep-layer flow/shear will be somewhat weaker compared to areas farther north, but may still be sufficient for transient storm organization and a localized damaging-wind threat. Southern MT/northern WY into the Black Hills High-based convection is expected to develop this afternoon along the northern periphery of the upper ridge, with the greatest relative coverage expected across parts of northern WY and southern MT. Buoyancy is expected to remain weak, but inverted-v profiles will support a threat of strong to localized severe gusts as storms move eastward towards the Black Hills before weakening this evening.












