A dome of heat pushing heat-index values to 100–110 °F is fueling repeated rounds of severe thunderstorms across the Upper Midwest this weekend. The National Weather Service placed large sections of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 7 p.m. CDT Saturday, warning of damaging winds, hail and torrential rain. In Minnesota, an early-morning storm complex delivered wind gusts estimated at 70 mph near Redwood Falls and dumped more than three inches of rain on parts of the Twin Cities. The NWS listed 24-hour accumulations of 3.12 inches in Mendota and 3.01 inches in Hugo. Utility Xcel Energy reported that more than 5,000 customers were without power around noon as crews raced to restore service before additional storms forecast for Sunday. By mid-afternoon the line of storms had pushed into northern Illinois. The NWS office in Chicago warned of winds to 60 mph and issued a Flash Flood Warning for Naperville, Downers Grove and Woodridge through 7:30 p.m. CDT. Temperatures in the Chicago area reached the mid-90s, adding to the risk of heat-related illness for residents dealing with potential power disruptions. Across the state line, the NWS placed 20 Wisconsin counties—including Milwaukee—under a flood watch from 4 p.m. Saturday through Sunday morning, citing "repeated rounds of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall rates" over ground still saturated from last week’s historic flooding. Forecasters expect the hot, humid and occasionally stormy pattern to persist through at least Tuesday. A cooler, drier air mass is projected to arrive mid-week, but until then the Weather Service warns that flash-flooding, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes remain possible across the region.