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Extreme Heat and Fire Weather Conditions in the West; Heavy Rain in the Southeast; Poor Air Quality

Extreme heat will begin to peak across the Desert Southwest. Multiple days of hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to bring fire weather concerns for portions of the Four Corners region into the central Great Basin and Rockies. Heavy rainfall and a flash flooding threat continues in the Southeast. Poor air quality persists from the Upper Midwest into the Northeast due to wildfire smoke. Read More >

Overview

Mother Nature provided her own firework show this 4th of July for some, and unfortunately, severe weather as well. A few storms across southern North Dakota merged and intensified as they drifted southward from the early evening to past nightfall across/near the James River Valley. Significant damage resulted from straight-line wind gusts of 80+ mph, as well as an EF-2 tornado near Wetonka. Heavy rain, especially in Hand County, also led to flooding issues. 

Additional rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms developed the following day, on July 5th, mainly across and west of the James River Valley. Wind gusts of 70+ mph were associated with a complex of storms across Jones, Lyman and Buffalo Counties during the early evening. Numerous storms then developed from northern Brown to Walworth Counties, beginning around 7pm. Several funnel clouds were spotted with this activity, particularly around the Long Lake and Bowdle/Hoven areas. Strong winds and some hail, as well as localized flooding, also accompanied this activity at times before it all diminished in intensity by around 10pm. 

 Tree uprooted 2 miles west of Westport, SD (Kristi Burns)
Funnel cloud observed on July 5th, courtesy of Missy Munns Thomas
View of the June 6, 2020 storm reports over western South Dakota View of the June 6, 2020 storm reports over western South Dakota View of the June 7, 2020 storm reports over South Dakota View of the June 7, 2020 storm reports over South Dakota
July 4th surface weather map at 4pm July 4th storm reports across the area July 5th surface weather map at 4pm July 5th storm reports across the area
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