A particularly dangerous tornado situation continues to unfold across portions of the Midwest Today, prompting the National Weather Service to issue widespread Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Watches. Within these watches are numerous Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, underscoring the potentially life-threatening hazards that exist from today’s severe weather outbreak.
According to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC), an outbreak of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are expected over parts of the central and southern Plains now and into the overnight hours. With the worst of the weather expected over much of Oklahoma and South-Central and Southeast Kansas, numerous tornadoes, several likely to be intense and/or have a long track, widespread damaging winds, some up to hurricane force, and widespread large hail, some up to baseball size, are all possible to impact communities there.
“Review your severe weather safety procedures for the possibility of dangerous weather today. Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio, weather.gov, or other media for watches and warnings. A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form during the next several hours. If a tornado warning is issued for your area, move to a place of safety, ideally in a basement or interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building,” warns the SPC.
Bands of intensifying strong to severe thunderstorms are
forecast to move into the region from the west and southwest
during the evening hours. The SPC says that the airmass continues to
gradually destabilize ahead of the developing storms and will become
favorable for organized severe thunderstorms, including supercells
and line segments.
The National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma is urging people to stay safe. Yesterday, they went to X to write, “We know storm fatigue is real and that it’s been a long couple of weeks. With that said, we want you to be ready for an impactful day of severe weather tomorrow.” The midwest has been battered by numerous rounds of violent thunderstorms with tornadoes and flooding heavy rains in recent weeks.
Current watches and warnings can be viewed on this map: CURRENT WARNINGS
