The solstice is fast approaching and so is peak season for severe weather in the Upper-Midwest. As ridges of high pressure become more dominant over the lower 48, storms often ride around these ridges of high pressure, in what's known as a "ring of fire" set-up. Such a set-up will usher in the chances for several rounds of severe weather in the Midwest to end the week, as several weak fronts ride around the ridge in the northern tier of the country.

Outlooks

Isolated to scattered severe storms are possible on Thursday across a massive region in the Midwest and Rockies.

On Friday, an Enhanced Risk has been highlighted across parts of the Interstate 94 region of North Dakota and Minnesota. Energy will be high to extreme for storms on Friday, which will allow for the potential for very large hail and hurricane force winds in what are known as significant severe weather threats. These threats have been outlined below.

Tornado potential will increase on Friday as well, especially around the I-94 corridor between St. Cloud and Bismarck.

The threat will persist on Saturday as storms continue to pop-up around the building ridge. Upper-level energy will not be quite as high, meaning the threat level and number of severe storms will be lower.

Forecast

Afternoons through the overnights appear to have the greatest potential for severe storms, so it may be worth preparing your property for storms before you go to sleep. The Baron model depicts storm initiation mostly late in the day, with some intense storms surviving or even strengthening through the overnight hours.