Storms Pelt Midwest With Wind and Hail

Blustery storms whipped across Midwestern states Sunday, lashing southern Wisconsin with winds of up to 100 m.p.h., while high pressure dried out the storm-weary East Coast and heat baked the Great Plains.

Showers and thunderstorms roved through the upper Midwest Sunday morning, dropping hail the size of golf balls near Minnewaukan, Minn., and inch-wide hail near Isabel, S.D., the National Weather Service said.

Wind gusts estimated at near 100 m.p.h. caused damage in La Crosse, Wis., while trees and power lines were blown down in the towns of Osseo and Arcadia. Gusts of about 60 m.p.h. hit Mobridge, S.D., and Rochester, Minn.

Afternoon showers and thunderstorms rolled over the Great Lakes states and into western Arkansas, western Montana and northern Idaho. Showers also reached from Florida across Georgia, the Carolinas and central Virginia.

Dense morning fog created hazardous travel conditions around the southeast Kentucky coal fields. Visibility dropped to near zero in many spots, especially valleys and low-lying areas.

Skies were clear over the mid-Atlantic states Sunday as the weather system responsible for days of rain pressed out to sea. High pressure over the Ohio Valley gradually funneled drier air into the region.

The weather service issued an air-stagnation advisory for southern West Virginia and extreme southwest Virginia through noon Monday. The advisory means the natural cleansing action of the atmosphere is poor as low-level winds weaken.

Hot temperatures extended over portions of the Midwest. The overnight low temperature at Concordia, Kan., was 78 degrees--the city’s warmest low temperature for Aug. 26.

Heat advisories were posted Sunday over much of the central and southern plains, as well as a large portion of the lower and middle Mississippi Valley.