GOODLAND (AP) — Much of the Midwest was bracing Wednesday for high winds, heavy rain and a chance of tornadoes as temperatures felt like summertime despite the official start of winter being only days away.
Forecasters across the Plains states predicted unusually warm weather, including likely record-breaking high temperatures in the mid-70s for much of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and parts of Missouri.
But the warmth comes with dangerously high winds and threats of violent storms.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning along a swath stretching from New Mexico to upper Michigan — including Wisconsin and Illinois — with strong sustained winds between 25 mph and 40 mph expected. Gusts could reach more than 70 mph at times, the weather service reported.
Damaging winds are likely to bring down trees and power lines, making widespread power outages possible, the weather service warned. Some schools in Nebraska canceled in-person classes and dozens of schools in Iowa planned to close early Wednesday in anticipation of bad weather.