There is a Slight Risk of Severe Weather over parts of the lower Great Lakes, northern and central Plains, and across portions of northern and western New York this afternoon and this evening. The main risks for today is going to be from damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tordnadoes.

WATCHES
Severe Thunderstorm Watch #753 for northeast Kansas and southeast Nebraska until 10:00pm CDT.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch #754 for northcentral Montana until 10:00pm MDT.

7:07 PM CDT
Tornado Warning for Phillips County, Montana.

On this day in Weather History....
1987 - Thunderstorms developing along a cold front produced hail two inches in diameter in McHenry County, IL, and wind gusts to 70 mph at Auburn, ME. A wind gust of 90 mph was recorded at Blairstown, NJ, before the anemometer broke. The high winds were associated with a small tornado. The record high of 88 degrees at Beckley, WV, was their sixth in a row. (The National Weather Summary) (Storm Data)

News Stories
Baby's Cry Leads to Rescue (CBS News)

Violent storms on Thursday in a 25-mile-long swath of central New Hampshire destroyed several homes, damaged dozens of others and left at least one person dead, authorities said as police and firefighters went door-to-door searching for more possible victims.

Read more (AP)

Donate to Victims - Follow this link to give to the New Hampshire chapter of the American Red Cross.

SevereStudios Associate Chaser Tim Purington captured this cell east of the Twin Cities Metro area.

There is a Slight Risk of severe weather this afternoon and tonight from the central and northern High Plains across the central Plains into the upper and middle Mississippi Valley. There is also a Slight Risk area over southeastern California and parts of Arizona. The severe threats are mainly for large hail and damging winds. The High Plains region has greatest threat for tornadic activity according the the Storm Prediction Center..

STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WIND GUSTS, AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THIS ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD EASTWARD THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.

WATCHES

Severe Thunderstorm Watch #752 for northeast Arkansas, southern Illinois, western Kentucky, southeast Missouri, and northwest Tennesse until 2:00 AM CDT.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch #750 for north central and northeast Colorado, Nebraska Panhandle, and southeast and east central Wyoming until 12:00 AM MDT.

6:45 PM CDT
Tornado Warning for Houghton county in Michigan.

WATCHES

Severe Thunderstorm Watch #748 for parts of central Nebraska and south central South Dakota until 3:00 AM CDT.
Tornado Watch #747 for parts of northeast Kansas, northwest Missouri, and southeast Nebraska until 12:00 AM CDT.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch #746 for parts of southeast Montana, Noerthern Nebraska, western and southern South Dakota, and northeast Wyoming until 10:00 PM CDT.

9:40 PM CDT
Tornado Warning for Lincoln county in Nebraska until 10:15 pm CDT.

6:20 PM CDT
Tornado Warning for Mahnomen county in Minnesota. Law Enforcement reported a funnel near Mahnomen at 6:15 pm CDT.

5:38 PM CDT
Tornado Warning is in effect for Bexar, Guadalupe, and Wilson counties in central Texas until 6:15 pm CDT.

5:05 PM CDT
The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for Cherry county Nebraska until 6:30 PM CDT.

1:29 PM CDT
A Tornado Warning in effect for Bexar County in central Texas until 2:15 pm CDT.

1:00 PM CDT
Tornado Warnings are in effect for northwestern Bexar, northeastern Medina, eastern Bandera, and southeastern Kerr counties in central Texas until 1:45 pm CDT.

This is the short video from July 16, 2008 near Alma, MI where SevereStudios Chaser Ben Holcomb chased some afternoon thunderstorms.