The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of northern Texas, central Oklahoma, and south-central Kansas, describing it as a “particularly dangerous situation.” This rare designation signals the potential for exceptionally severe storms. The watch, effective until 11 p.m. CT, anticipates several tornadoes, with a few likely to be intense, affecting areas including Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The National Weather Service has issued a particularly dangerous tornado watch, indicating an unusually high confidence in the potential for multiple strong and long-lived tornadoes of at least EF2 strength. This watch affects parts of northern Texas, central Oklahoma, and south-central Kansas until 11 p.m. CT. An additional tornado watch, effective until 1 a.m. CT, has been issued for portions of Kansas, impacting half a million people. Over 4.5 million Americans were under tornado watches Saturday evening.
Supercell thunderstorms in the watch area are capable of producing extremely large hail, up to the size of grapefruits, and damaging wind gusts reaching 80 mph. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has warned that some tornadoes could be particularly violent, potentially exceeding EF4 strength. This follows an EF4 tornado that struck Greenfield, Iowa, earlier in the week, killing at least four people and causing extensive damage.
Saturday’s forecast includes a Level 4 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for a large swath of Kansas and Oklahoma, including major cities like Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Wichita, and extending into far western Missouri. The SPC has highlighted the potential for "violent tornadoes, extreme hail, and corridors of widespread wind damage" in this area, although severe weather could extend from Texas through Nebraska to the Mississippi Valley.
Saturday evening and overnight, dangerous storms are expected to develop in western Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, expanding in both scope and strength as they move east into the Mississippi Valley. Robust thunderstorms will continue over parts of the Mississippi Valley through Sunday morning before weakening. However, another round of damaging storms is anticipated to develop over the Midwest by Sunday afternoon, spreading south and east into the evening and overnight. These storms could potentially affect regions from the Great Lakes to the South by Sunday night.
On Sunday, the primary hazards from any severe thunderstorms will be damaging wind gusts and large hail, although some storms could also produce tornadoes. The greatest threat of tornadoes is expected in parts of the Midwest, particularly during the afternoon and evening hours.
Major travel hubs, including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Nashville, may face significant impacts from these storms, potentially leading to flight delays or cancellations. Travelers in these areas should stay updated on weather conditions and check their flight status frequently.
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