Rain and Storms Coming for the Midwest and Ohio Valley

The chance of rain and severe weather is back in the cards for the Midwest. While the rain will be beneficial for this increasing dry part of the country, the threat of severe weather will accompany the surge of moisture. Here is a look at what you can expect in the central U.S. beginning on Thursday.

Thursday's Forecast Calling for Arrival of Rain and Thunderstorms

A storm system is forecast to push across the Plains and by the end of the week, bringing much-needed precipitation to the Midwest and over into the Ohio Valley on Thursday and Friday. Parts of this region have been under the designation of moderate to severe drought as defined by the U.S. Drought Monitor. So while the news of incoming rain is good news, the storm will bring the threat of locally severe thunderstorms.

The area of high pressure that has been anchored over the Ohio Valley this week began to break up late Wednesday. This breakup will pave the way for a storm system to push through and bring the warm and dry conditions to an end while showers and storms fire up.

You can expect the first rain showers and thunderstorms to ignite on Thursday across the Dakotas and into parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. For instance, while Des Moines will start the day with sunny skies, the clouds will increase in the afternoon. The evening hours will bring rain showers along with the threat of hail-producing thunderstorms. Winds will clock in at 10 to 15 mph. Thursday's highs will hit about 73 degrees before slipping into the upper 40s overnight.

This storm system will push to the east during the evening and overnight hours Thursday and into Friday, bringing the impacts to the Great Lakes region. This system is not expected to bring a significant amount of rainfall with the exception of where the rain sets up repeatedly late Thursday.

It has been an exceptionally dry October for a large part of the central U.S. For instance, Des Moines has only seen about 0.30 of an inch of rain this month. It has been even drier in Kansas City and Minneapolis. Both of these major metro areas have recorded just a trace of rain throughout the entirety of October.

When to Expect the Rain