An intense line of thunderstorms ripped, tore, screamed, blasted, and raced through the state of Iowa this morning, producing wind gusts exceeding 90 MPH in spots. Right or wrong, the storm is being touted as a “derecho” in the media; regardless of the name, the storms were brutal.

Severe thunderstorms are rapidly firing up across the Upper Midwest this afternoon, with tornado watches in effect from central Missouri through the western shores of Lake Michigan. The largest cities under the risk for tornadoes this afternoon are Chicago and Milwaukee. Some of the tornadoes could be strong in the most well-organized supercells.

The leading edge of the Arctic air filtering into the U.S. is abrupt and ruthless—temperatures in Iowa at 4:00 PM ranged from 72°F in the southeastern corner of the state and 27°F with a wind chill of 11°F in the northwestern corner of the state. Ahh. Or brrr, depending.

After a long period without any severe weather, the atmosphere appears primed for a potentially dangerous severe weather outbreak tomorrow across areas from Kansas to Minnesota. Some areas could see tornadoes, baseball-size hail, and winds in excess of 75 MPH.

While much of the western and south-central portion of the United States are stuck in a devastating drought, parts of the Midwest are trying to fend off near-record flooding. The Mississippi River will crest at 20.8 feet tomorrow in Davenport, Iowa, exceeding flood stage by almost six feet.

A deadly derecho swept across the Midwestern United States on Monday evening, killing at least one person in Iowa as it caused major damage along its path and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. It's not over yet, either — another line of severe storms is on its heels.