Powerful Derecho Targets Northern Plains, Bringing Destructive Winds and Threat of Tornadoes

A major derecho—an intense, fast-moving, and destructive windstorm associated with a line of severe thunderstorms—is bearing down on the Northern Plains today, with the most significant impacts expected from South Dakota into southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa this afternoon and evening, according to AOL Weather. Wind gusts topping 75 miles per hour are likely in cities like Aberdeen, Watertown, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, posing a serious risk of tree and structural damage, along with widespread power outages. The National Weather Service has indicated that isolated tornadoes and large hail could accompany this line of storms as well.

This derecho is being fueled by a powerful clockwise flow on the northern edge of a heat dome currently baking the central U.S. As the system organizes, the damaging winds could extend several hundred miles, with the storm’s reach potentially stretching as far east as Minneapolis-St. Paul by tonight. If you are in the path of these storms, it is essential to have a safety plan in place. Mobile and manufactured homes are especially vulnerable, and you should identify a sturdy building or community shelter ahead of time. Keep multiple ways to receive weather alerts, including smartphone notifications and NOAA weather radios, and make sure these devices are fully charged before the storms arrive. When a warning is issued, move to shelter immediately.

This event marks the second notable derecho to strike the Northern Plains this summer. In late June, a similar storm brought winds of 100 to 120 mph to Bemidji and northern Minnesota, causing extensive damage and recalling the intense derecho that hit Iowa in August 2020 with Category 4 hurricane-force winds. Today’s situation underscores the unpredictability and destructive potential of these inland hurricanes, which can cause damage tens of miles wide and hundreds of miles long, and are most common in late spring and summer across the Great Plains and Midwest.

Severe weather season in the upper Midwest is typically winding down by mid-October, but today’s forecast is a reminder that dangerous storms can still occur outside the traditional peak months, when warm and humid air clashes with strong winds. Listeners across the region should stay alert, monitor local forecasts, and be ready to act quickly if warnings are issued.

Thank you for tuning in. For more updates on extreme weather and other stories, come back next week. This has been a Quiet Please production. Check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

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