More than 30 million at risk from severe thunderstorms
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated May 27, 2021 11:40 PM EST
More than 37 million Americans living in areas from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley will be at risk for some form of severe weather into Thursday night as a turbulent stretch of weather continues.
It has been an active week of severe weather so far in portions of the Plains. Wednesday was particularly volatile with multiple tornadoes and dozens of reports of large hail and damaging winds. There were also strong winds farther east as well.
An EF1 tornado ripped through the town of Selden, Kansas, Monday night and left damage in its wake. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported. So far this week more than 50 tornado reports have been documented by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
While the East enjoyed a respite from severe weather on Thursday, the atmosphere continued in high gear with ongoing widespread severe weather farther west.
"Strengthening low pressure in the central U.S. will produce locally strong to severe thunderstorms throughout portions of the Midwest and southern Plains into Thursday night," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.
Thunderstorms were ongoing in eastern Kansas and western Missouri at the start of Thursday.
A tornado touched down in a field in Louisville, Illinois, on Thursday, but no damage was reported. An additional tornado report came in from Sailor Springs, Illinois, which caused damage to a local barn.
From Texas to Illinois, reports of strong winds and hail began popping up throughout the day on Thursday. Trees and power lines were downed by the weather across the region.
Additional thunderstorms are likely to develop over a much larger area through the evening hours as a cold front continues to progress southeastward.
"The atmospheric setup with these storms will be conducive for large hail, heavy downpours and locally damaging winds for western Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri; however, isolated tornadoes will also be possible," stated Sadvary.
Like on Wednesday, the greatest threats are expected to be large hail and tornadoes as the storms initially develop. As the storms begin to congeal into a line, damaging winds will become the primary threat.
Wind gusts could reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph in spots. For comparison, a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific has winds in the range of 74-95 mph.
The highest risk area into Thursday night will stretch from parts of northeastern Texas through central Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, central Missouri as well as parts of northwestern Arkansas and western Illinois.
"These thunderstorms are certain to alter outdoor plans and can potentially create travel issues, especially along interstates 70, 44 and 40," said Sadvary.
The storms in western Texas may wind up being separate from the main line farther to the north and east. These storms are likely to develop very late in the afternoon and will continue eastward into north-central Texas before weakening around midnight. However, severe weather is expected to stay north and west of Dallas. The primary risks with that batch of storms in Texas should be large hail and damaging winds.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Regardless of the hazards, all storms contain dangerous lightning, and forecasters advise those living in the threat area to move indoors if thunder is heard.
"Residents in the central and southern Plains should keep a close eye on the forecast through Thursday night and be prepared should severe weather strike," Sadvary said.
Severe weather is expected to be limited to a smaller area on Friday. However, parts of central and western Texas will have a risk for strong winds, hail and an isolated tornado. Gusty storms could also occur farther to the northeast, with small hail possible.
Thunderstorms may return to portions of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas by Sunday or Monday. At this point, the severity of any storms is uncertain, but AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor the situation heading into the upcoming holiday weekend.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
More than 30 million at risk from severe thunderstorms
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated May 27, 2021 11:40 PM EST
More than 37 million Americans living in areas from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley will be at risk for some form of severe weather into Thursday night as a turbulent stretch of weather continues.
It has been an active week of severe weather so far in portions of the Plains. Wednesday was particularly volatile with multiple tornadoes and dozens of reports of large hail and damaging winds. There were also strong winds farther east as well.
An EF1 tornado ripped through the town of Selden, Kansas, Monday night and left damage in its wake. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported. So far this week more than 50 tornado reports have been documented by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
While the East enjoyed a respite from severe weather on Thursday, the atmosphere continued in high gear with ongoing widespread severe weather farther west.
"Strengthening low pressure in the central U.S. will produce locally strong to severe thunderstorms throughout portions of the Midwest and southern Plains into Thursday night," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.
Thunderstorms were ongoing in eastern Kansas and western Missouri at the start of Thursday.
A tornado touched down in a field in Louisville, Illinois, on Thursday, but no damage was reported. An additional tornado report came in from Sailor Springs, Illinois, which caused damage to a local barn.
From Texas to Illinois, reports of strong winds and hail began popping up throughout the day on Thursday. Trees and power lines were downed by the weather across the region.
Additional thunderstorms are likely to develop over a much larger area through the evening hours as a cold front continues to progress southeastward.
"The atmospheric setup with these storms will be conducive for large hail, heavy downpours and locally damaging winds for western Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri; however, isolated tornadoes will also be possible," stated Sadvary.
Like on Wednesday, the greatest threats are expected to be large hail and tornadoes as the storms initially develop. As the storms begin to congeal into a line, damaging winds will become the primary threat.
Wind gusts could reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph in spots. For comparison, a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic or East Pacific has winds in the range of 74-95 mph.
The highest risk area into Thursday night will stretch from parts of northeastern Texas through central Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, central Missouri as well as parts of northwestern Arkansas and western Illinois.
"These thunderstorms are certain to alter outdoor plans and can potentially create travel issues, especially along interstates 70, 44 and 40," said Sadvary.
The storms in western Texas may wind up being separate from the main line farther to the north and east. These storms are likely to develop very late in the afternoon and will continue eastward into north-central Texas before weakening around midnight. However, severe weather is expected to stay north and west of Dallas. The primary risks with that batch of storms in Texas should be large hail and damaging winds.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Regardless of the hazards, all storms contain dangerous lightning, and forecasters advise those living in the threat area to move indoors if thunder is heard.
"Residents in the central and southern Plains should keep a close eye on the forecast through Thursday night and be prepared should severe weather strike," Sadvary said.
Severe weather is expected to be limited to a smaller area on Friday. However, parts of central and western Texas will have a risk for strong winds, hail and an isolated tornado. Gusty storms could also occur farther to the northeast, with small hail possible.
Thunderstorms may return to portions of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas by Sunday or Monday. At this point, the severity of any storms is uncertain, but AccuWeather meteorologists will continue to monitor the situation heading into the upcoming holiday weekend.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo