Severe Weather Alert Warns People They Could Lose Control of Cars

A tree bends from the heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina on September 14, 2018. Winds were expected to be quite strong in the northern Plains states on Monday.

Driving could become difficult on Monday as the National Weather Service (NWS) issued wind advisories for seven states in the northern U.S.

The winds are caused by a cold front moving through the northern Plains on Monday. Wind advisories were issued for Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.

Wind was expected to be strongest in Rapid City, South Dakota, with some gusts reaching up to 55 miles per hour. Most areas were expecting wind speeds between 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 40 or 50 miles per hour. The alerts were issued in the early hours of Monday morning and are expected to last throughout the day.

Meteorologists warned motorists that the wind could be so severe that they may lose control of their vehicles.

“Sudden wind gusts can cause drivers to lose control, especially in lightweight or high profile vehicles. Strong winds can cause blowing dust, reduced visibility, and flying debris,” the NWS warned. “Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.”

NWS meteorologist Em Wong told Newsweek that South Dakota residents are familiar with strong winds, but there could still be some impacts.

“The main concerns would be just anyone in a high-profile vehicle driving around could get blown around a little bit,” she said.

The warnings also urged people in the affected areas to secure loose objects, as wind could send them flying.

“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects,” the NWS office in Omaha, Nebraska, where winds are expected to reach up to 50 miles per hour, said. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

In addition to the wind, the NWS Rapid City office also warned of elevated fire risk from the conditions.

“Windy day in store for us as a cold front crosses the region this morning. Gusts in NW SD could reach 55 mph. Warm temps, low RHs, and gusty winds could lead to elevated fire [weather] conditions in NW SD,” the office posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday morning.

In an earlier post, NWS Rapid City said that the strongest winds would occur Monday morning and Monday evening. In Omaha, Nebraska, the cold front will bring storms with it.

“Warm and windy conditions today will lead to a heighted wildfire risk in areas that remain dry,” NWS Omaha posted on X. “A front will move through the region this afternoon with showers and storms developing by this evening. Looking ahead, storm chances return to the area Thursday.”

Cold temperatures gripped other parts of the nation on Monday morning, bringing a frost advisory to many states in the Midwest and a freeze warning to Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.

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