Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Weather Outbreak

news image
Top Stories
20 Apr 2026 4:10 PM

Tornadoes, hail, wind, and rain slammed the Midwest and Great Plains on Friday as a powerful storm system moved into the region. The same storm system was producing snow in Colorado while tornado warnings were being issued hundreds of miles to the east.

Unfortunately, tornadoes hit some residential areas causing damage to homes in several states and injuring at least one person in Iowa. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported thus far. We'll post summaries of the tornadoes, including their ratings, as that information comes in over the next few days. Head to the bottom of the page for radar loops from Friday.
Over one hundred tornado warnings were issued with 25 reports of tornadoes either being spotted or causing damage.

Many more severe thunderstorm warnings and flash flood warnings were issued on Friday, with many warnings confirmed by reports (below).

Hail topped 3 inches in diameter (bigger than baseballs) in both the Midwest and Plains on Friday, with many significant hail reports (over 2 inches).

Hurricane force wind gusts also verified on Friday, with at least 5 reported over hurricane strength in the Midwest. Squall lines formed late in the day to produce large bowing segments.

Radar Review

Radar imagery from Friday was impressive, with many discrete supercells forming before the storms became more linear late in the evening. Many warnings were issued for storms, including confirmed tornado warnings (pink instead of red).

All Weather News
More
Over a Foot of Snow Falls in New York

Over a Foot of Snow Falls in New York

Heavy snow is piling up across portions of th

13 Nov 2026 8:35 PM
Wet Pattern Targets West Coast This Weekend Bringing Snow & Rain

Wet Pattern Targets West Coast This Weekend Bringing Snow & Rain

It has been active for portions of the West t

13 Nov 2026 7:20 PM
Lake Effect Machine May Fire Up Midweek

Lake Effect Machine May Fire Up Midweek

We've got a party getting started in the midw

13 Nov 2026 2:00 AM
Tropics Update: Pena Spinning in the Pacific

Tropics Update: Pena Spinning in the Pacific

Hurricane season isn’t over yet. The National

12 Nov 2026 2:00 AM
Severe Threat Rolls Returns to the Ohio Valley

Severe Threat Rolls Returns to the Ohio Valley

An interesting setup is rolling through the M

11 Nov 2026 12:20 PM
Texas Flood Threat To Start The Week

Texas Flood Threat To Start The Week

Rain is tapering off after the heavy totals t

9 Nov 2026 10:55 PM
Heavy Rain Brings Flooding Concerns to Northeast as Storm System Moves East

Heavy Rain Brings Flooding Concerns to Northeast as Storm System Moves East

The same system that has produced unsettled w

7 Nov 2026 10:00 PM