Breakfast Brief: Big autumn storms across Plains

A wave of severe storms will sweep across the Plains this afternoon, bringing damaging winds and large hail threats. These storms will be the dividing line between the chilly West and the unseasonably hot Midwest, South and East.

The WeatherRadar shows a line of strong to severe thunderstorms developing across the Plains from northern Texas and the Dallas area northward into Missouri Valley and the central Plains. This included Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Wichita, Kan., and Omaha, Neb.

These quick storms, developing along a strong cold, front will bring damaging winds, hail and even late-season tornadoes. It will be important to have your app alerts on this afternoon and evening. The storms will move rapidly and will continue after today's autumn sunset, with some of the most dangerous storms happening after dark.

East of these dramatic storms, it will be an unseasonably warm and windy day throughout the South, Southeast, East, Midwest and Northeast. Highs will be in the 70s across the Midwest and Northeast with 80s found across the lower Midwest, Ohio Valley, Midwest and throughout the South and Southeast. A few 90s are possible in southern Texas. Records could be broken across the Midwest.

Gusty winds exceeding 50 mph, as seen on the WindRadar, will make it feel drier and increase the fire risk across the central U.S., especially in places like Oklahoma City, Wichita and Kansas City.

The West will have a chilly midweek. Afternoon highs in the 40s and low 50s will be common from the Rockies to the Pacific, with a few 70s found in the Southwest and southern California.

On top of the cold temperatures, a new Pacific storm system is rolling ashore and will bring heavy rain to the Northwest, including Portland and Seattle. Snow will fall across the Cascades.

The main tropical development zones remain quiet, but a low-pressure system in the western Caribbean continues to be monitored. This could develop this weekend into a depression as it drifts northward.

No other tropical development is expected over the next several days.

It's never too early to prepare for the winter season! Is your blizzard kit in order?