South, Midwest Brace For Weather Problems This Weekend

Severe thunderstorms are expected to hit the Midwest this weekend, and the South faces a renewed risk of flash flooding.

7:52am CDT #SPC Day1 Outlook Slight Risk: across the Great Lakes and Midwest https://t.co/TgJgC6cj9Y pic.twitter.com/SHTRBwxFJ3

— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) July 12, 2025

Storms have already moved through parts of Iowa, northern Missouri, and Illinois Friday night, bringing damaging winds and at least one reported tornado in Iowa, NBC News reported. (RELATED: Leavitt Looks Baffled After Reporter Asks Why Texas Flood Alerts Were Sent ‘While People Were Likely Sleeping’)

7-11-25 7:30 pm ET

Tornado Watch has been issued in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin until 11 p.m. CT, including Chicago and Milwaukee.

Severe storms slamming parts of Iowa over the past couple of hours are now moving into northwestern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.… pic.twitter.com/iJdtszubUF

— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) July 11, 2025

The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts a slight risk of severe weather Saturday afternoon affecting about 19 million people from eastern Michigan to northern Kentucky, including cities such as Detroit, Indianapolis and Cincinnati, according to NBC.

Quarter-sized hail and isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out, and heavy downpours may also cause isolated flash flooding across the Carolinas, Mid-Atlantic, and as far north as Upstate New York and western New England, according to NBC.

In Davenport, Iowa, local officials reported property damage and flooding Friday night, urging residents to avoid flooded streets, NBC reported. A shelf cloud associated with damaging winds was captured in Woodhull, Ill.

The South is under flood alerts as heavy rain returns to the Southern Plains, NBC reported. Central Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico are forecast to see 1 to 5 inches of rain, with some areas possibly receiving up to 8 inches. Areas including Dallas, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Ruidoso, New Mexico are under flood watches. Burn scars in Ruidoso make the region particularly vulnerable to flash floods.

Meanwhile, heat alerts cover parts of the Western U.S. and western New York, with temperatures expected 10 to 20 degrees above average, NBC reported. Cities such as Spokane, Reno, Bakersfield and Syracuse are included.

Air quality alerts remain in effect in the Upper Midwest due to smoke from Canadian wildfires, NBC reported.  The White Sage Fire in northern Arizona continues to burn with no containment.