Record High Temperatures, Strong Winds Blow Into Midwest

Members of the Colorado Springs Utilities Catamount crew remove a fallen tree that crushed a car driving westbound on Unitah Street in Colorado Springs, Colo., as wind gusts reached more than 100 mph in the Pikes Peak Region on Dec. 15, 2021. Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP

OMAHA, NEB.—Much of the Midwest braced Wednesday for powerful winds, heavy rain and a chance of tornadoes as temperatures felt like summertime despite the official start of winter being only days away.

Forecasters across the Great Plains predicted unusually warm weather, including likely record-breaking high temperatures in the mid-70s for much of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and parts of Missouri. The warmth comes with dangerous winds and threats of violent storms, on the heels of devastating tornadoes last weekend that cut a path through states including Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois and Kentucky, killing at least 88 people.