Meteorologists across several National Weather Service offices warned that rounds of severe thunderstorms would sweep the Midwest and the Central Plains on Saturday, bringing damaging winds, torrential rain and the risk of isolated tornadoes. Storms are forecast to form west of the Fox River in northern Illinois and advance east toward Lake Michigan during the night, while separate lines track across southern and central Wisconsin. Localized wind gusts could reach 60 mph, and rainfall totals this weekend could approach 5 inches in parts of Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to Weather.com. In Colorado, forecasters expect scattered severe storms to develop over the Palmer Divide and the eastern plains by mid-afternoon, capable of hail up to two inches in diameter and wind gusts comparable to the Midwestern system. At the same time, the National Weather Service in Pueblo issued a Red Flag Warning for the state’s Western Slope, where critical fire conditions and heavy smoke from ongoing wildfires are complicating emergency response. Officials advised residents from Des Moines to Milwaukee and from Denver’s suburbs to the Kansas border to monitor updated alerts, secure outdoor items and be prepared for rapid changes in conditions through Saturday night and into Sunday.