Weather Around The USA, June 17, 2025

A multi-day swarm of severe thunderstorms and flooding rain hammered parts of the central and eastern U.S. as an intensifying tropical storm targeted Mexico as a hurricane. Meanwhile, forecasts of the strongest, most expansive heat wave of the year came into focus.

You can find the latest complete forecasts here for the severe weather, the upcoming heat wave and Erick.

Here were our live updates from Tuesday morning.

(11:44 a.m. EDT) More On The Weird Overnight Colorado Hailstorm

Colorado’s state climatologist Russ Schumacher just provided some perspective on how bizarre the early morning large hail was for the state’s Front Range.

According to Schumacher’s post on BlueSky:

Prior to today, (there were) only seven reports in state records of 2″+ hail between the hours of 2-5 am.

Schumacher examined hourly 2″+ hail data from 1955 through 2024. A photo posted by a cooperative observer of tennis ball size hail in Wellington is shown below.

(11:28 a.m. EDT) Hurricane Watch Extended To Acapulco

From the National Hurricane Center’s 10 a.m. CDT advisory, the government of Mexico has issued a hurricane watch from west of Punta Maldonado to Acapulco. This means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area and is typically issued 48 hours before the onset of tropical storm force winds.

A hurricane warning is now in effect for western Oaxaca state, from Puerto Angel to Punta Maldonado. This means hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours in this area.

The NHC now forecasts Erick could rapidly intensify to near Category 3 status by landfall Thursday, though its track and intensity forecasts still have key uncertainties.

Senior meteorologist Chris Dolce has all the latest forecast details for Erick here.

(11:20 a.m. EDT) 7th Death Confirmed In West Virginia Flash Floods

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced on X that a seventh fatality has been confirmed, after heavy rain caused devastating flash floods in the state over the weekend. There have now been 20 flood-related deaths in 4 days, a tragic reminder of how quickly flooding can turn dangerous.

(10:10 a.m. EDT) Strange Overnight Front Range Hailstorm

Colorado’s Front Range corridor, along I-25 including Denver, is no stranger to hailstorms. But what happened early this morning was weird.

Severe thunderstorms with hail up to baseball ball size pelted the northeast Colorado Front Range. The photos below from Denver7 traffic reporter Jayson Luber showed smashed out vehicle windows in Miliken, just southwest of Greeley, Colorado, from the hailstorm.

Usually, thunderstorms this time of year develop first over the mountains or immediate Front Range in late afternoon or early evening, then form larger clusters well to the east over the Plains overnight.

In this case, these damaging hailstorms hit the Front Range between 2 and 5 a.m. local time. Talk about a rude awakening.

(09:43 a.m. EDT) Erick’s Track And Storm Fatigue

As mentioned earlier, Tropical Storm Erick is forecast to become a hurricane and head toward Mexico’s Oaxaca or Guerrero states by late tomorrow or early Thursday.

The exact track, as always, has some uncertainties. Given its potential nearly parallel track for a time along southern Mexico’s coast, any slight deviation west or east could bring the center with its strongest winds and storm surge farther west or east and could make the landfall timing either later (if farther west) or earlier (if farther east).

I could only find four other Cat. 2 or stronger landfalls in Oaxaca or eastern Guerrero states in NOAA’s database. The last one was John almost nine months ago in extreme eastern Guerrero. John struck at Cat. 3 intensity, but then it slowed over eastern Guerrero, then moved offshore and redeveloped into a hurricane before its final landfall much farther up the coast. This double landfall triggering prolific rainfall flooding, including in Acapulco one year after catastrophic Hurricane Otis struck, prompted the World Meteorological Organization to retire John from future use as a hurricane name.

(09:22 a.m. EDT) Heat Wave Ahead Hottest In Over A Decade?

By early next week, several major cities could flirt with the 100-degree mark. The last time New York City’s Central Park and Philadelphia reached the century mark was in July 2012, almost 13 years ago. Philly could reach that triple-digit mark multiple days in a row.

Detroit’s Metro Airport hasn’t hit 98 degrees since July 2016, almost nine years ago. They could do that multiple days early next week. Take this upcoming heat wave seriously.

(08:51 a.m. EDT) Increasing Mexico Hurricane Danger

Earlier this morning, Tropical Storm Erick became the fifth storm of the 2025 Eastern Pacific hurricane season.

Unfortunately, Erick is forecast to track northwest and approach the coast of Mexico’s Oaxaca or eastern Guerrero states either late tomorrow night or early Thursday morning. Hurricane watches are in effect for the western Oaxaca coast

And it may undergo a period of rapid intensification into at least a Category 2 hurricane by landfall. Storm surge, damaging winds, flooding rain and mudslides are all threats in these areas.

(08:39 a.m. EDT) West Virginia Flood Disaster Update

From weather.com managing editor, Sean Breslin:

Crews are continuing to search through rubble and creekbeds in the northern West Virginia towns of Wheeling, Triadelphia and Valley Grove after a weekend of deadly flooding left six dead. Two people remained unaccounted for when Gov. Patrick Morrisey provided his latest update yesterday.

“I’ve been doing this for 35 years and this is the worst I’ve seen,” Wheeling Fire Department emergency management director Lou Vargo told reporters.

For all the latest on this tragic situation, read our article.

(08:31 a.m. EDT) Déjà Vu Tonight?

If this wasn’t enough for storm-weary Kansas, we expect another line of severe thunderstorms with high winds and heavy rain to sweep across parts of Kansas and Oklahoma late tonight. The areas at most risk are in the darker red contours on the map below.

So, the Wichita metro area could experience their second squall line in less than 24 hours’ time late tonight. More power outages, downed trees and limbs, as well as local flooding are possible.

(08:21 a.m. EDT) Where The Storms Are Now

What’s left over from the Wichita squall line is now over northeast Oklahoma, prompting severe t-storm warnings between Tulsa and Ponca City. A 66 mph wind gust was measured near Stillwater, Oklahoma, with these storms.

Flash flood warnings continue in Kansas, including the Wichita metro area, where storms with locally heavy rain are lingering.

(08:05 a.m. EDT) A Record-Tying Wind Gust

Early this morning, a squall line of severe thunderstorms roared through central and southern Kansas. Wichita’s Eisenhower Airport recorded a wind gust of 101 mph, which tied the airport’s all-time record gust, according to the National Weather Service.

Trees and power lines were downed, and flooding was reported up to car doors in the Wichita metro. Below was the shelf cloud photographed as the line of severe storms rolled in. A full explanation of shelf clouds can be found here.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.