Soaking thunderstorms to impact the Midwest Saturday

In what has been an active weather week across the Midwest, more thunderstorms are in store for part of the region into the Saturday night hours.

A storm system is forecast to track out of the northern Plains and into the Midwest this weekend and act as a focal point for thunderstorm activity.

Thunderstorms will advance slowly from parts of southern Minnesota and western Iowa to southeastern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois.

Storms may have enough energy through the overnight hours to continue to produce localized gusty winds and torrential downpours into northern Illinois before sunrise on Sunday.

Many Midwestern cities that are under the threat for severe weather have observed above-average rainfall totals through this point in September. This includes the cities of Minneapolis, Des Moines, Iowa; and Madison, Wisconsin.

Travelers along interstates 35, 80 and 90 may face travel issues if traveling late in the day or overnight and are urged to take necessary precautions to avoid these hazards.

Be sure to slow down to minimize the risk for hydroplaning when traveling at highway speeds, and never drive through a flooded roadway. It only takes about 6 inches of moving water to sweep a vehicle away.

With college football season underway, officials at area schools will need to keep an eye on the sky for rapidly changing conditions.

Remember, if you can hear thunder, then you are close enough to the storm to be at risk of being struck by lightning.

In the wake of the storms Saturday, conditions are expected to dry out Sunday and Monday across much of the Midwest.

Download the free AccuWeather app to stay alert of tropical and severe weather advisories. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.