Spring Thunderstorms Strike the Midwest
A series of strong thunderstorms swept across the midwest today (April 27, 2026), bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and hail to Missouri, Illinois, and other nearby states. My colleague Haley Thiem wrote about the potential threat of the developing storms earlier today. Although the National Weather Service had issued a tornado watch (Be Prepared!) for southern Missouri and Illinois, and a tornado warning (Take Action!) for a few areas near St. Louis, no tornado damage was reported as of Monday evening. (If you’re unsure of the difference between a tornado watch, warning, or emergency the National Weather Service’s Tornado Terminology page describes the terms. Good to know if you live in tornado country.)
NOAA’s GOES-East satellite caught the storms as they swept over St. Louis, Missouri. This image shows the midwest at 6:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Clouds to the east (right) are the remnants of an earlier storm system. This image captures a line of strong storms as they moved move over St. Lois from west (left) to east (right). The sun was near the horizon, resulting in steep-angled sunlight that highlighted the structure of the cloud tops. Strong convention, similar to a pot of water on a rolling boil, hints at the strength of the storms.
Data from NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 19, accessed on April 27, 2026, from https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-goes .
