Kwqc weather will turn active Wednesday as two rounds of strong to severe storms are expected in the Quad Cities, with hail, damaging winds, tornadoes and localized flooding possible. A Flood Watch is in effect for parts of west-central Illinois through Wednesday evening.
The first round is expected early Wednesday morning, generally now through 11 a.m., and could produce damaging winds of 70+ mph. The second round is expected roughly between noon and 7 p.m. and could bring large hail, damaging wind gusts over 75 mph and a few tornadoes.
West-Central Illinois Flood Watch
Parts of west-central Illinois are under the Flood Watch through Wednesday evening because heavy rainfall could lead to localized flooding, especially in areas hit by both rounds. The storms are expected to move fast, close to 50 mph, which can shorten warning lead times.
The setup is a busy weather day across the Quad Cities, and all modes of severe weather are on the table. That leaves little margin for delay once warnings are issued.
Wednesday Morning Commute
The early round could affect the commute and school travel before 11 a.m. Storms are expected to develop as discrete supercells before growing into clusters, and the greatest tornado threat currently appears to be across west-central Illinois where wind shear will be strongest.
The afternoon and evening round arrives when many people are out and about, which raises the number of people exposed if warnings are issued with short lead times. The second wave is also the one most likely to bring the strongest wind gusts and the clearest tornado risk.
Thursday And Friday
Quieter weather is expected Thursday and Friday with temperatures running below normal. Another system could bring additional showers and thunderstorms late this weekend.
For Wednesday, the practical step is simple: plan around two separate storm windows, expect warnings to move fast, and be ready for the afternoon round to be the more severe of the two.
