Central US Braces for Severe Tornado Outbreak.

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms, including destructive winds and the potential for strong tornadoes, is expected Friday across an enormous stretch of the Midwest, Corn Belt and Mississippi Valley. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has highlighted two swaths of the country as having a Level 4 out of 5 risk of severe weather, writing that “intense and widespread severe thunderstorms are expected Friday,” and even noting some tornadoes may be “strong and long track.” The storm system will feature a cold side that could drop a strip of moderate snowfall across the Dakotas, Upper Midwest and northern Great Lakes. Blizzard conditions are possible in parts of the northern Plains as strong wind gusts combine with the impending snowfall.