It’s the heart of spring tornado season south of the border and Monday’s weather could be dangerous for millions of people in the center of the country.
The USA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) predicts widespread severe thunderstorms across the Plains and Midwestern states during Monday afternoon and evening.
This week’s severe weather threat in the United States is linked to the same low pressure system that will bring heavy rain on the southern prairies.
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There is a moderate risk of severe weather — a level four on the five-category scale that measures the risk of dangerous storms — in parts of central Oklahoma and southern Kansas, including the Oklahoma City metro area.
Thunderstorms are likely to develop across the Western Plains as Monday heats up, quickly organizing into supercells capable of producing strong and long-lasting tornadoes across much of Oklahoma and Kansas. These supercells could also produce ‘giant’ hail as large as 10 cm in diameter or about the size of a softball.
At night, forecasters expect the storms to quickly merge into one or more powerful squall lines heading east. during the night Monday afternoon until early Tuesday.
The greatest threat from these squall lines would be widespread and damaging wind gusts in excess of 75 mph, as well as an ongoing risk of embedded tornadoes.
A new threat of severe weather will push eastward into the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Tuesday. Damaging wind gusts would be the biggest threat with these storms.
Travelers passing through Dallas, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Omaha or St. Louis will likely encounter flight delays and cancellations as a result of this severe weather.
Drivers are encouraged to use extreme caution and closely monitor local clocks and warnings. The vehicles provide no protection from the destructive winds of a tornado. If you are in a vehicle during a tornado warning, stop at the nearest sturdy building and shelter indoors.
Never attempt to seek shelter from a tornado or hail storm under an overpass. These structures do not offer any protection The high winds and resulting traffic jams are exceptionally dangerous.
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This is the latest in a long series of severe weather outbreaks that have affected the central United States in recent weeks.
Multiple deadly tornadoes landed on the plains to close the month of April. Last month saw the second-highest number of tornadoes ever reported in the U.S. during the month of April, according to preliminary data from the SPC.
