Where The Severe Threat Ramps Up This Weekend

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A​ robust fall cold front is sweeping into the Plains, Midwest and South with severe thunderstorms producing a few tornadoes, damaging wind gusts and large hail.

H​ere are some things you should know about through Wednesday night:

• What we are tracking now: Any severe thunderstorm or tornado watches are shown by the shaded polygons below. Any warnings are indicated by the outlined polygons.
• Threat area and hazards: Stretching from the Corn Belt to the Southern Plains. Tornadoes, damaging winds and hail are all possible.
• Area with the biggest concern: Eastern Kansas, central and northeast Oklahoma and western Missouri, including the Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Wichita metro areas.
• A strong tornado threat (EF2 or greater intensity) is possible in those areas.
• D​amaging wind gusts are the most likely threat in some thunderstorms.

H​ere are some things you should know about Thursday:

• The chance of severe weather decreases as the cold front pushes eastward, but a few strong storms could still develop from the Ohio Valley to the Deep South.
• These storms will be mostly capable of strong wind gusts, but an isolated tornado can't be ruled out in the lower Mississippi Valley.
• I​n some spots, a rumble of thunder or two could threaten Trick-or-Treat plans.
• For your full Halloween forecast, click here.

T​emperatures will also take a tumble by 15 to 25 degrees behind the cold front, which will return daytime temperatures from record highs back toward average for the end of October.

(​MORE: Tornadoes And Outbreaks Can Happen In Fall And Winter)

Jonathan Belles has been a graphics meteorologist and writer for weather.com for 8 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.