Mother Nature has a few more tricks up her sleeves before sending the coolest weather so far this season into the Mid-Mississippi Valley and Upper Midwest this weekend. Fresh severe storms are ongoing this evening, bringing gusty winds, hail and possible tornadoes.

Severe Thunderstorm Watches stretch from southern Ohio to Arkansas, including Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Paducah, Ky.

Lines of storms are developing in the soupy, unstable air from the Ohio Valley into the southeastern Plains where temperatures in the 80s and 90s are clashing with much cooler 60s and 70s moving in behind a cold front. As these storms move east and southeast this afternoon, the Interstate 70 corridor through the Midwest could see large hail to the size of baseballs and damaging winds in excess of 70 mph.

The greatest threats will be wind gusts in excess of 60 mph and hail larger than golf balls. On top of all that, twisting winds in the lower atmosphere will bring a tornado threat to the northern Ohio Valley and central Great Lakes this afternoon.

Baseball sized hail pounded Columbia, Mo., this evening, as did Dover, Ark. Warrenton, Mo., saw window-breaking hailstones. A thunderstorm crossing Iola, Kan., produced 70 mph gusts, while Coffeyville, Kan., reported a 78 mph gust. An 85 mph gust pounded Dover, Ark., causing power outages and tree damage.

The East Coast will be next to see severe storms. The front will push to the East Coast late Saturday, bringing the threat for large hail and damaging winds to large stretches of the populated Interstate 95 corridor late Saturday afternoon into the evening.

Be sure to keep WeatherBug active to receive the latest weather in your neighborhood and get the latest updates anywhere on Twitter.

What do you think of this story?
Click here for comments or suggestions.