Five tornadoes hit the Kansas City area Monday night. Did a change in National Weather Service balloon launches leave forecasters in the dark about the threat for much of the day?

Multiple tornadoes tore through Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin on Friday, leaving heavy damage in Lena, Illinois, and forcing evacuations in Rochester and Marion, Minnesota.

Hail topped 3 inches in diameter (bigger than baseballs) in both the Midwest and Plains on Friday, with many significant hail reports (over 2 inches). Hurricane force wind gusts also verified on Friday,

However, the cold front will quickly overtake storms, causing them all to merge into a windy squall line. Tornado and hail risk will decrease, though a few spin-up tornadoes are still possible. Instead, widespread 60 to 75 mph wind gusts will accompany the squall.

The tornado made “like a whirring sound … and I could hear things being ripped off (the house),” one resident said.

More severe weather has slammed parts of the Midwest with several tornadoes, while heavy rain caused flooding from Green Bay to northern Michigan. Ash-har Quraishi reports.

After severe storms damaged communities in the Plains and the Midwest, forecasters warned that storms could bring giant hail, tornadoes and severe wind gusts to the regions again. Authorities in Kansas reported several people with minor injuries after storms passed through on Monday.

CNN reports that more than 24 tornadoes have been reported from eastern Kansas to southern Minnesota and Wisconsin since Monday night, with more severe weather possible in some areas for the next 24 hours. The report also has an interactive map of the United States showing at least 27 reported tornadoes in the last seven days.

The air has been sticky, with temperatures rising through the afternoon each day before the clouds start to appear. By evening, the phone alerts begin to sound, announcing warnings of thunderstorms that could bring giant hail, damaging winds, flash floods or even dangerous tornadoes.